HL Deb 17 November 2004 vol 666 cc1434-5

2.51 p.m.

Lord Burnham asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is intended that the Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report will include a full updating on the Bowman project as on 31 March 2004 and details of subsequent progress.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)

My Lords, the Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report 2004 was submitted to Parliament on 1 November 2004 and included a full update on the Bowman project as at 31 March 2004. Details of progress subsequent to 31 March were not included due to the report period end date. A further progress report on the Bowman project will be forthcoming in the Major Projects Report 2005.

Lord Burnham

My Lords, am I not right in thinking that the Bowman did not come into service until March 2004, which is the moment the report was completed? It is widely said that while the Bowman works well, it is extremely difficult to carry about and to use, and its mobility is virtually non-existent. Will the noble Lord comment on that?

Lord Bach

My Lords, Bowman came into service on 26 March 2004. In fact, it reached its initial operating capability nine months earlier than approved. There have been some difficulties, as the noble Lord rightly points out, concerning platform weight. That is the kind of problem one expects with new projects of this kind, particularly important projects of this kind. Safety is of prime importance, and restrictions are placed on the use of vehicles until potential safety issues have been resolved. I can tell the noble Lord and the House that work is ongoing with platform IPTs and vehicle design authorities to resolve the issues. We are confident that they will be resolved.

Lord Redesdale

My Lords, the Minister mentioned platform weight. Is it not the case that the system is so heavy that it could destabilise a Land Rover? Concerns have been expressed that Land Rovers could be unstable if they had such a system in the back. Secondly, is the Minister happy with the procurement costs of the Bowman system, considering that it has recently been alleged that the present Smart procurement system is £1.7 billion in overspend?

Lord Bach

My Lords, the issues of weight are being dealt with. As for whether I am happy with the procurement of Bowman, the answer is yes. It is a real success story for Smart acquisition procurement. Since the Archer project was dropped, the Bowman project has reached its in-service date before approved time and to cost. I am afraid that such good news stories in defence procurement seldom receive much publicity, so I am very grateful to the noble Lord.

Earl Attlee

My Lords, I remind the House of my interest as a serving TA officer. Does the Bowman system meet the Minister's expectation in terms of data transmission?

Lord Bach

Yes, my Lords.

Lord Garden

My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on having produced a communications system which is of this century rather than the last. We have had a difficult procurement process, and he is to be congratulated. However—as always—I notice that the United States is introducing the global information grid at a cost of 200 billion US dollars. Since we wish to be interoperable with the United States, and the digitised battlefield is the way ahead, with network-enabled capabilities—all the buzzwords—will Bowman work with it?

Lord Bach

My Lords, I am flattered to be congratulated by the noble Lord. Today he is being a Liberal Peer; on other occasions, of course, he plays a great role as an independent armchair air marshal in our media. I hope that he is congratulating me in both his roles.

To answer the noble Lord's question seriously, we are sure that we will be interoperable with the new United States programme. But I am still getting over his congratulations.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, the Challenger 2 tank crews have reported noise interference with their intercom as a result of Bowman being installed. What action are the Government taking to correct this?

Lord Bach

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. There was an issue with Challenger 2; an intermittent problem occurred when the Bowman intercom system connected to current in-service equipment such as the noise reduction headset. Prompt action was taken to reduce the risks, and both the department and the prime contractors are working hard to provide a robust, long-term solution. We are confident that this will be available ahead of operational development.

Lord Haskel

My Lords, is it helpful to our armed services to discuss their equipment in such detail in a public forum such as this? Is it not better discussed in more private circumstances?

Lord Bach

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend, but when we have a success story in this field, I want to shout about it.