The Commons defence committee has uncovered continuing major problems with the procurement of military equipment.

In a new report released today the MPs found that the Ministry of Defence suffered from cost over-runs of £3.1 billion in 2002/03 and average delays on major projects of 18 months.

They called on the department to get a tighter grip on its purchasing practices by clamping down on "endemic" and "systemic" problems in its "woeful" Defence Procurement Agency.

The committee concluded that the "smart acquisition" policy introduced by Labour in 1998 has not been a success, despite good intentions.

Chairman Bruce George said political problems were also having an impact on the troops.

"Our armed forces are having to deal with many new security challenges in conditions where they are already overstretched and under-staffed. The last thing they need is to worry about is whether or not critical equipment will turn up on time or at all," he said.