§ Lord Gainfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made with Mr. Bett's review of Service career and manpower structures and terms and conditions of service.
§ Lord HenleyThe Secretary of State for Defence expects to receive Mr. Bett's report at the end of March. The terms of reference for the review require Mr. Bett to consult widely within MoD and the Services. He very much appreciates the response he has received to his request for ideas and information, both in his visits programme and the extensive questionnaires and surveys which have formed an important part of the review. As part of this continuing dialogue, Mr. Bett and his team are now at the stage of testing elements of their ideas with those concerned in my department and the services. Not all of these ideas will necessarily develop into recommendations, and others may be 123WA modified. There is bound to be speculation, some of it inaccurate and ill-founded, about what the report will recommend, but we regard Mr. Bett's continuing dialogue with us as important to the success of the review. Final decisions on Mr. Bett's recommendations will of course be taken by Ministers, in a process of consultation involving the Armed Forces and others, following receipt of his report.