Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many vehicles are provided to the Ministry of Defence under its ministerial car contract.
Answer
Further to the Answer of 27 October 2026 to Question HL4032, the Ministry of Defence does not have a specific contract for the provision of ministerial cars. Ministerial travel is generally supported by vehicles provided from Defence resources under the Department’s wider Phoenix 3 White Fleet contract, managed by Babcock. Phoenix 3 commenced on 1 March 2026 and provides White Fleet vehicles to meet requirements across Defence. Vehicles used to support Ministers and Service Chiefs form part of these wider arrangements and do not constitute a separate or exclusively ministerial fleet. The contract therefore does not specify a fixed number of vehicles for ministerial use. Contracts are awarded against Defence requirements and in accordance with applicable procurement obligations, including the need to secure value for money for the taxpayer, rather than a specific country of manufacture.
Verdict: AMBER (65/100)
The reply addresses the question directly. It explains that there is no separate ministerial car contract and that ministerial vehicles come under the wider Phoenix 3 White Fleet arrangement, which has no fixed ministerial count. It gives no vehicle number, so a member of the public would understand why no figure exists but may still want the total fleet numbers that cover ministerial vehicles.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many vehicles are provided to the Ministry of Defence under its ministerial car contract? | Addressed | Direct | The reply states there is no specific ministerial car contract (seq 1) and that ministerial vehicles come from the wider Phoenix 3 White Fleet arrangement without a separate or fixed ministerial count (seqs 2, 4, 5), which directly explains why no contract-level vehicle number exists. It gives no figure, but the item's literal premise is answered, and the reply does not substitute a different dataset. |