§ 14. Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria his Department uses to judge whether it provides value for public funds; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department meets these. [22319]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotMy Department judges expenditure proposals in terms of their cost-effectiveness in contributing to defence objectives, using techniques such as investment appraisal and operational analysis. We are determined to achieve the best value for the taxpayer's money allocated to defence.
§ Mrs. ClwydIs it really good value for money to continue to employ the Ministry of Defence police in investigating Martin Gregory, the producer of the "Dispatches" programme on instruments of torture, to whom the Department of Trade and Industry has already paid out £55,000 in libel damages? Would it not be better if the MOD police were to investigate the role of the British Government and British firms in exporting instruments of torture to despicable regimes?
§ Mr. ArbuthnotNo. I will write to the hon. Lady about the first matter, but it would not be right to accept the second matter.