§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what written representations on the proposals for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency public-private partnership have been received by his Department from the United States Department of Defense. [112369]
§ Mr. HoonOfficials in my Department have received written representations on the proposal to implement a public-private-partnership (PPP) for the Defence484W Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) from the following representatives in the US Department of Defense (DOD):
- The Hon. Jacques Gansler, Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Technology);
- Dr. Dolores Etter, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Science and Technology);
- Walter Hollis, Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (Operational Research);
- Lieutenant General Kadish, Director Ballistic Missile Defence Organisation; and
- John Manela rk, Director Test and Evaluation, US Air Force.
In addition, officials have received a number of electronic mails from Dr. Craig Dorman, the Chief Scientist of the Office of Naval Research, the DOD's nominated focal point for DERA PPP.
Comment in this written correspondence has focused on the following areas:
Maintenance of existing UK/US Government interactions in science and technology following PPP;Protection of security and commercially sensitive information, and the application of the proposed "compliance regime";Legal and contractual issues associated with the proposed PPP;The need to avoid possible conflicts of interest arising from a private sector DERA's commercial imperatives and government functions;Possible alternative PPP options and their ability to meet both governments' requirements.