Conclusions and recommendations
1. We
recommend that the Ministry of Defence reconsider whether provision
for commenced operations might be included in the Main Estimates
in future. (Paragraph 9)
2. While we appreciate
the value in managing peace-keeping activities centrally, we cannot
see why this should preclude separation of the anticipated costs
of operations in the Balkans by department in the Main Estimates.
We recommend that the Government reconsider this. (Paragraph 12)
3. The current arrangements
mean that the provision for conflict prevention in the MoD's Main
Estimate greatly underestimates the total expected cost of the
MoD's conflict prevention activities. (Paragraph 13)
4. We recommend that
the MoD consider further, in consultation with this Committee
and with the House of Commons Scrutiny Unit, how the information
presented in its Estimates memoranda could be made more accessible,
and expressed in plainer language. (Paragraph 16)
5. We have identified
no issues of sufficient concern to require a debate in the House
before it is asked to agree to the Main Estimates. (Paragraph
17)
6. We believe that
it is essential to our future security that the MoD and our Armed
Forces are properly funded, and we will be monitoring the progress
of the Spending Review with very close interest. We will also
be continuing to monitor the MoD's Estimates process. The Government
should not take the House's acquiescence to its spending plans
for granted. (Paragraph 18)
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