§ Mr. David MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency in developing a partnering arrangement; and if he will make a statement. [35833]
§ Mr. SoamesAs part of the Government's competing for quality and private finance initiative, in December 1995 the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency—NRTA—selected Flagship Training, a consortium consisting of Vosper Thornycroft, GEC/Marconi and Procord, as its preferred partner in naval training.
Following a process of detailed negotiation between the NRTA and Flagship Training, I am pleased to announce that it has been decided to proceed with the implementation of the partnering arrangement. With the formal framework now in place, the NRTA and Flagship Training can begin to develop specific proposals in respect of NRTA shore training establishments. This process is expected to take around six months to complete and the proposals that emerge will be the subject of further consultation with Departmental trades unions.