RAF Logistics (Hansard, 4 June 1992)

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton

I am today able to report, as the basis for formal consultation between the Department and the trade unions and other interested parties, the outcome of detailed studies into the structure and location of the RAF Logistics Command. A consultative document is being passed to the local and national trade unions concerned today.

The Government accepted last year the recommendations of the PROSPECT study into the future size and structure of the Ministry of Defence. Central to the study's recommendations was the principle that only a small core headquarters should be retained in London, with the remaining functions being redeployed. For the RAF, the report recommended that the staff of the Air Member for Supply and Organisation should move out of London, and together with associated elements of RAF Support Command, which would be abolished, form a Logistics Command the headquarters of which will be located at the current RA FSC headquarters at Brampton near Huntingdon. The purpose of the studies now completed has been to establish the best long-term locations for the remainder of the staffs affected. Apart from Brampton, these staff are predominantly in London, At Harrogate, RAF High Wycombe, RAF Stanbridge in Bedforshire, and RAF Swanton Morley in Norfolk. The Defence Codification Authority and air technical publications branches in Glasgow were not involved in these studies.

The Logistics Command will comprise three major functional groupings; the maintenance group, which is a defence support agency, and which was not considered in these studies; the group responsible for communications and information systems; and the support management group. The work of all these is underpinned by the technical and computing services provided at R AF Swanton Morley and RAF Stanbridge.

The studies have recommended that to the maximum extent possible the units carrying out these functions should be collocated in the Brampton area. This would make maximum use of the existing headquarters at Brampton, and of the nearby station at RAF Wyton which as a result of planned changes has significant potential for reuse. A crucial consideration was the cost of providing both office accommodation and married quarters for collocated staff. In particular, complete reprovision of the 635W poor quality buildings on the existing Harrogate site would be extremely expensive compared to the smaller degree of new construction and conversion which would be required at Wyton.

If the recommendations of these studies are confirmed following consultation, the initial moves would be of predominantlyy RAF staff from RAF High Wycombe. Subsequent moves out of Harrogate, London, and Swanton Morley would take place over the period 1994 to 1997. RAF Swanton Morley and the MOD site at Harrogate would be released for disposal. These recommendations have been arrived at only after the most exhaustive study of a wide range of options for the future Logistics Command, including nine sites in the north and East Anglian sites.

The Department is very conscious of the difficulties which surround such a large reorganisation. The Ministry of Defence is the largest Government employer in Harrogate, and one of the largest in North and West Yorkshire, and some compulsory redundancy cannot be excluded. Everything possible will be done to avoid or minimise redundancies at all the locations concerned. Staff will where appropriate be transferred at public expense. In addition there are some opportunities for employment in other Government Departments in the areas concerned, and the Ministry of Defence will co-ordinate closely with these Departments to maximise the opportunities. In addition, anyone made redundant will be compensated under the terms of the appropriate pension scheme. They will also be entitled to participate in the Department's counselling and outplacement service.

These recommendations are subject to the full consultative procedures agreed between the Department and the Trade Unions.