§ Sir Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the visits specifically to discuss the demountable rack off-loading pick-up system made to each of the companies he has listed as being involved in his Department's demountable rack off-loading pick-up system programme between 1975 and 1982 by the following Ministry of Defence senior officers involved in DROPS (a) VCGS, (b) QMG, (c) VQMG, (d) DGTM, (e) D of Q (Org & Dev) and (f) DAP(A); and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will list the visits specifically to discuss DROPS made to the companies he has listed as being involved in his Department's programme between 1975 and 1982 by his Department's trials and concepts officers working on DROPS between 1975 and 1982; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he can provide an estimate for the number of visits made by representatives of the companies he has listed as having been involved in DROPS between 1975 and 1982 to any of his Department's establishments to discuss DROPS in each of the years 1975 to 1982; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThis information cannot be provided since there is no record of all such visits between 1975 and 1982.
§ Sir Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Defence if any member of his Department's procurement executive visited any of the companies involved in DROPS in order to discuss DROPS prior to formal tasking of MOD(PE) in 1982; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonStaff of the procurement executive are required to maintain constant contact with firms in the motor vehicle and associated industries in the normal course of their work. Detailed records recording every visit and conversation which occurred in 1982 in this way are not available. There is, however, a record of a visit paid by the then project manager for B vehicle procurement to Boughton's in the spring of 1982, which advised it of the forthcoming competition.
§ Sir Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will say which of those companies he has identified as having been involved in his Department's DROPS researches between 1975 and 1982 participated, except as exhibitors of Boughton's DROPS equipment, in any of the British Army equipment exhibitions held between 1975 and 1982 or in any of his Department's overseas exhibitions held between 1975 and 1982; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonOf the companies listed in my reply of 16 December, only Foden and the Boughton Group participated in exhibitions sponsored by the Ministry of Defence during the period mentioned.
§ Sir Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will say which of those companies he has identified as being involved in his Department's DROPS research between 1975 and 1982 provided in that period any equipment on free loan to his Department over any protracted period; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThere is no record of any equipment having been provided on free loan for any protracted period between 1975 and 1982 by any of the companies referred to as part of the Department's consideration of bulk load handling concepts.