§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the costs to Her Majesty's dockyards, on an individual dockyard basis, of outside contracted cleaning.
§ Mr. PattieThe introduction of contract cleaning has been authorised at two dockyards so far: Devonport and Rosyth. As I explained on 18 January in my answer to the hon. Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Cartwright)—[Vol. 16, c.37]—I am unable to give details of contract costs because to do so would involve the disclosure of commercially confidential information.
However, I can assure the hon. Member that no change to contract cleaning is agreed unless proven to be no more expensive than the existing arrangements. At the 131 establishments where the introduction of contract cleaning has so far been approved, some 3,900 complemented posts will be saved at an estimated annual saving of about £6.7 million.