HC Deb 11 January 2000 vol 342 cc125-6W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings Ministers in his Department have had with members and officials of the United States Department of Defense to discuss the public private partnership proposals for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; on what date; at which locations; which UK Ministers attended each of these meetings; which members of the United States Government attended these meetings; and for which section of the United States Department of Defense the officials who attended each meeting were working. [103182]

Mr. Kilfoyle

Since 24 August 1999, the Minister for Defence Procurement, Baroness Symons, has met with the following US representatives to discuss the DERA public private partnership proposals:

  1. (a) Hon. L. Buchanan, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, on 13 September 1999 in London;
  2. (b) Hon. P. Hoeper, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research, Development and Acquisition, on 14 September 1999 in London;
  3. (c) Mr. A. Money, the Assistant Secretary of Defence (C31) on 1 October, in London; and
  4. (d) The DoD's nominated focal point for the DERA Public Private Partnership, Dr. C. Dorman, the Chief Scientist of the Office of Naval Research, on 22 November 1999, in London.

Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and where British officials and military personnel met US Government officials to discuss the future of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; and if he will list the names and job descriptions of the British participants. [103407]

Mr. Kilfoyle

[holding answer 21 December 1999]: Throughout the DERA PPP process there has been substantial and widespread discussion with US Government officials, by a considerable number of British officials and military officers, at meetings in the UK, the US and in other countries during, or in the margins of, multilateral meetings.

A full list of all meetings which may have included discussions on the future of DERA between US Government officials and British participants is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However the key meetings held specifically to discuss DERA PPP are summarised as follows:

  1. (a) During the 4–6 November 1998 Mr. G. H. B. Jordan, Deputy Under Secretary (Science and Technology) and Mr. T. Jagger, Director of the DERA Partnering Team briefed a targeted audience of senior DoD political appointees and officials, single service commands and laboratories and government laboratories and agencies.
  2. (b) Mr. C Balmer, the MOD Principal Finance Officer accompanied by Mr. Jordan, Sir John Chisholm, the Chief Executive of DERA and Mr. Jagger visited the US to brief a similar audience at the start of the consultation process, from the 3–7 May 1999.
  3. (c) Mr. Jagger, accompanied by members of MOD's International Research Collaboration division visited the US on 24–28 May 1999.
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  4. (d) US DoD officials visited the UK in July and held discussions with Mr. K. Tebbit, the MOD Permanent Secretary. Mr. Balmer, Mr. Jordan, Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Burton, the then Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Systems), Mr. Jagger, Sir John Chisholm and members of their staffs.
  5. (e) Mr. Balmer and Mr. Jagger visited Washington during September to hold further discussions with the DoD.
  6. (f) The DoD's nominated focal point for DERA PPP visited the UK during 15–24 November and held discussions with Mr. Balmer, Mr. Jordan, Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), Mr. J. Howe, Deputy Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency, Mr. Jagger, Sir John Chisholm and members of their staffs.

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