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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the £72.3 billion allocated in the Defence and Equipment Plan 2013 supporting existing in-service equipment, how much of that allocation is devoted to (a) nuclear propulsion and (b) nuclear weapons.

Mr Philip Dunne

Of the £72.3 billion referred to in the 2013 Equipment Plan we plan to allocate to the support of in-service equipment over the next decade, £1.6 billion is for nuclear propulsion and £13.0 billion for maintaining the Trident Strategic Weapons System, including costs associated with the nuclear warhead.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £1.2 billion underspend in his Department’s equipment budget in 2012-13 arose as a result of programme slippage; what programmes were behind schedule; and for what reason those programmes were behind schedule.

Mr Philip Dunne

Our analysis of the £1.2 billion underspend in 2012-13 in our equipment programme shows that it has been caused by a combination of factors, including better than expected outcomes from contract negotiations; budget being allocated for risks that did not materialise; and the impact of programme slippage against plans.

A detailed analysis of programme slippage by programme is not currently available, but further work to improve our detailed understanding of variations against planned spending patterns and the implications for project costs in future years is nearing completion.

Due to our improved financial discipline the Treasury have allowed us to carry over in-year underspends into our future year budgets. The last National Audit Office Major Projects Report showed an 88% reduction in overall project delays.

We now have the assurance of a stable and well managed budget and confidence that defence programmes are affordable and deliverable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which contracts with his Department worth over £50 million are behind schedule owing to the failure of suppliers to deliver to an agreed schedule; and in the case of each such contract, who the suppliers were.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence currently has around 400 open contracts with a total value of more than £50 million. Current performance related information on each contract is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what quantitative criteria have been used to set to remote the risk probability of a collision involving a Tornado aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne

Military Aviation Authority Regulatory Article 1210 defines categories for quantifying the likelihood of a risk as follows:

“Likelihood is assessed with respect to the likelihood of the assessed consequence of a hazard. This is based on the likelihood of a single accident resulting in harm for a particular fleet. The appropriate category listed below must be used:
a. Frequent: Likely to occur at least several times a year.
b. Occasional: Likely to occur one or more times per year.
c. Remote: Likely to occur one or more times in 10 years.
d. Improbable: Unlikely to occur in 10 years.”

A panel of suitably qualified and experienced persons from the Tornado Force calculated the risk likelihood for the Tornado risk register based on this definition.