§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what special considerations Mr. P. J. Levene has taken into account when considering the security implications of transferring responsibility for maintaining Polaris to a private agency;
(2) what studies have been conducted into the national security implications of the transfer of the royal dockyards to a private managing agency.
§ Mr. LeeNational security will, of course, be one of the principal considerations taken into account in reaching decisions on future arrangements for all aspects of the work of the royal dockyards.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the current manpower employed by his Department at (a) Rosyth, (b) Devonport and (c) Portsmouth.
§ Mr. LeeThe numbers of people employed in the dockyards in question, as at 1 March 1984, were as follows:
Numbers (a) Rosyth Dockyard 6,365 (b) Devonport Dockyard 13,470 (c) Portsmouth Dockyard 3,723
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the most recent figures available for the cost to his Department of (a) Rosyth naval dockyard, (b) Plymouth Devonport Dockyard and (c) Portsmouth dockyard.
§ Mr. LeeThe latest figures available are those recently published in the dockyard operating accounts which formed part of the Appropriation Accounts for 1982–83. Total dockyard costs for that year were:
£ (a) Rosyth Dockyard 105,780,000 (b) Devonport Dockyard 245,238,000 (c) Portsmouth Dockyard 112,012,000
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence which subsidiary activities now carried out within the royal dockyards are to be candidates for being shed under the initial recommendations of the Levene report.
§ Mr. LeeThe preliminary report that has been made represents a possible framework for the future operation of the dockyards. If changes such as those that have been suggested were to be brought into effect, the range of activities to be undertaken would be a matter for detailed consideration.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence who would be responsible for new investment in the royal dockyards under the proposals of the Levene report for a Government-owned/contracted operated agency system for defence industries.
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§ Mr. LeeThe division of responsibilities as between the Ministry of Defence and an agent is something that would need to be decided if an agency system were to be introduced.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those firms in Great Britain which are considered capable of refitting the Polaris submarines following the investigations of Mr. P. J. Levene.
§ Mr. LeeThe investigations referred to are of a preliminary nature. Much more work would be needed before the capabilities of individual firms could be established.