Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 2 November 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Gray Report

Question: Page 38 of Bernard Gray's report says that""between £1 billion and £2.2 billion is being lost each year as a result of the failure to control this overheated equipment programme"." Does the Minister agree?

Answer: Of course I noticed that rather startling figure when I read the Gray report myself. The right hon. Gentleman, who has obviously read the report, will also have noticed that there is no evidential basis for that statement anywhere in it, nor is there an evidential basis for it anywhere else that I have ever come across. The very fact that the figure ranges between £1 billion and more than £2 billion shows, I think, how imprecise that statement inevitably is.

Secondary information