Likely additional costs in other areas of departmental spending, such as on its workforce and sizeable estate, may squeeze the Plan’s budget in future years, further threatening its affordability. The Department’s plans to make substantial reductions to its military and civilian workforces over the next 10 years are already harder than expected as fewer personnel have left the armed forces than normal since 2020 because of the pandemic. Similarly, there are as yet no plans to make an addition...

Likely additional costs in other areas of departmental spending, such as on its workforce and sizeable estate, may squeeze the Plan’s budget in future years, further threatening its affordability. The Department’s plans to make substantial reductions to its military and civilian workforces over the next 10 years are already harder than expected as fewer personnel have left the armed forces than normal since 2020 because of the pandemic. Similarly, there are as yet no plans to make an additional £2.5 billion cut to workforce costs, which is also already assumed in the Department’s plans. And the Department does not know how it will afford the Type: conclusion | Number: 4 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2022 4.2 The department recognises the importance of managing risks to affordability, particularly from challenges in areas such as workforce and estates. 4.3 The EP21