Baroness Vickersasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the value of contracts relating to the construction of the new airfield in the Falkland Islands that have been placed with companies in the United Kingdom; whether they will publish in the Official Report a list of such contracts detailing the value, the firm with which the contract has been placed and, if known, the location where the work will be done; and whether they are able to estimate the number of jobs created or saved by the placing of such contracts.
§ Lord SkelmersdaleI refer my noble friend to the Statement made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 27th June. The main contract has been placed with the Laing-Mowlem-Amey Roadstone Construction Joint Venture. …190 million is our latest estimate of the value of the work on the airfield and associated RAF facilities. The subcontractors nominated by the PSA are Balfour Kirkpatrick Ltd. (Mechanical and Electrical Services), GEC Diesels Ltd. (Power Generation Services), and Capper Neil International Ltd. (Bulk Fuel Installation). All other sub-contractors have been selected by the Joint Venture under the terms of their contract. It is not possible to give the details of the many sub-contracts and of the additional employment opportunities they entail, without disproportionate cost. However, the terms of the Joint Venture's contract require it to use United Kingdom products and materials unless this is impractical or uneconomic, and United Kingdom shipping similarly. In addition, the contractors' own labour force is being recruited in this country and will total some 1,400 jobs at the peak of the construction work.