Minister James Cartlidge faces questions on defence procurement
On Wednesday 21 June, at 13.30, the Defence Sub-Committee on Defence Equipment and Support will hold an evidence session on the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) approach to procurement.
Likely areas of questioning
In the first panel, the Sub-Committee will hear from specialist journalists and expert witnesses, including Francis Tusa, Editor of Defence Analysis and Dominic Nicholls, Associate Defence Editor of The Daily Telegraph. For the second panel, Members will question Minister of Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge MP, CEO of DE&S, Andy Start, and Permanent Secretary at the MOD, David Williams.
The session comes a week after the publication of the Sheldon Review, which found that a number of systemic issues within the defence procurement process had contributed towards the excessive delays and cost of the Ajax programme. The Sub-Committee will use this session as an opportunity to better understand the key challenges in defence procurement, the accountability structures and the future implementation of lessons learned.