I wish to update the House on changes to arm’s length bodies within the Ministry of Defence, delivered as part of defence reform and the productive and agile state programme. These changes strengthen ministerial oversight, reduce duplication, and ensure that Ministers continue to receive high-quality independent expert advice where it is required.
Defence is undertaking the most significant reforms in 50 years. The strategic defence review endorsed the defence reform programme to ensure defence can deliver the armed forces the country needs to keep it safe, maximise investment in the frontline, and support economic growth.
These reforms also support the Government plan for change and the Prime Minister’s productive and agile state initiative. ALB reform is embedded within defence reform, which is committed to delayering and simplifying the arms’ length bodies delivery landscape, reducing duplication and inefficiency, driving reduced costs, and repatriating policy oversight to ministerial control with improved accountability.
In spring 2025, the Cabinet Office undertook a review of arm’s length bodies in line with the aims of the Government plan for change. As part of the recommendations of this review and in delivering defence reform changes, defence has completed one ALB closure and has reclassified two defence ALBs previously classified as advisory non-departmental public bodies as departmental expert committees.
Two defence ALBs have been reclassified.
The independent medical expert group provides essential independent advice on medical and scientific aspects of armed forces compensation scheme and is responsible for:
investigating the issues on which advice is requested;
reaching conclusions and making recommendations based on evidence;
providing evidence comprising independent, published, peer-reviewed scientific and medical literature; and
consulting other experts and inviting interested parties to submit relevant research.
The Nuclear Research Advisory Council provides independent, external, evidence-based advice to the Chief of Defence Nuclear, MOD Defence Nuclear Organisation Director General Warhead, MOD Chief Scientific Adviser, and other senior MOD officials. The committee will also update its name from Nuclear Research Advisory Council to Nuclear Research Advisory Committee to reflect this change.
Both committees will continue to operate with their existing remit, secretariat and membership, ensuring continuity of their work and no disruption to the provision of expert advice.
The provision of independent advice to Government are vital to effective policy and decision making, and these changes ensure that Ministers continue to have access to the right expert advice at the right time, while strengthening accountability within the Department.
Following a review, Defence concluded that it no longer required advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on the medical implications of less lethal weapons, an advisory NDPB, and the committee was closed in November 2025.
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