Read the MOD Annual report from the Defence Committee here:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery...ence/57/57.pdf
It's an 80 page PDF, so for the deployed borrowing Uncle Sam's hardware for 15 minutes per sitting, here's the summary:
This report analyses the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts 2005–06 which combines the Annual Performance Report and the consolidated Departmental Resource Accounts.
The MoD’s assessment is that it is on course to achieve its Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets which run until March 2008.
The Annual Report describes military operations undertaken in 2005–06, but the MoD has refused us the information on which it bases its assessment that these operations are on course for success. Future MoD Annual Performance Reports should provide clear performance criteria.
The MoD’s performance against its PSA target for generating forces has deteriorated, which is understandable given the level of operational deployments. The readiness targets should be made more challenging in the longer term. The reliability of air transport and the shortage of serviceable battlefield helicopters should be addressed.
The MoD has broadly achieved its manning requirement for the Armed Forces but this is because the manning targets have fallen. It needs to revise its Defence Planning Assumptions to take into account the increased level of operational activity. The Armed Forces continue to experience difficulties in the recruitment and retention of personnel although the outflow figures provide no evidence of an exodus. The MoD has introduced financial incentives to improve retention in certain trades, but significant shortages of personnel remain in some areas. The Armed Forces are operating in challenging conditions and without all the equipment they need. The current level of commitments is impacting on training. With problems of undermanning continuing, there is a clear danger that the Armed Forces will not be capable of maintaining current commitments over the medium-term.
The MoD’s performance against its diversity targets is poor. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, in particular, have failed to recruit sufficient people from ethnic minorities. Progress has been made in the number of women joining the Services but there are alarming levels of recorded sexual harassment.
The MoD met its procurement targets. The merger of the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation will shift focus onto through-life support of equipment, and the PSA targets should reflect this.
The MoD’s performance against its value for money targets is good. It has exceeded its efficiency savings targets but should continue to improve the way efficiency savings are measured.
The MoD is rationalising the number of Defence Agencies. The Committee would be concerned if this reflected a wider centralist tendency or led to less transparency in the MoD’s work.
New and potential losses reported in the MoD’s Resource Accounts totalled some £143 million in 2005–06, a lower figure than the previous year. The MoD should continue to make improvements in the way it records and reports losses.
Standby for briefings about our excellent value for money from the highly paid help - questions will not be allowed during this briefing etc.
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