§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new chief of defence procurement, Mr. Peter Levene, will have any role in making recommendations or issuing guidelines about the privatisation of in house services in the royal dockyards.
§ Mr. ButlerAs the chief of defence procurement, Mr. Levene will have no responsibility for the dockyards other than those I described in the reply I gave the hon. Gentleman on 9 January 1985, at column 458. Mr. Levene's advice will, however, be widely available, particularly in connection with our determination to achieve value for money.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer on 9 January, if Mr. Peter Levene, in his new position as head of defence procurement, will be responsible for issuing guidelines about evaluating tenders for contract work in naval refitting.
§ Mr. ButlerTenders for all Government contracts, including contract refits, are evaluated and, if necessary, clarified according to established criteria, which include value for money and the ability of tenderers to meet the requirement and to fulfil the terms of the intended contract. Contracts are awarded according to these guidelines and in the light of all the circumstances obtaining at the time. So far as contract refit arrangements are concerned, and the responsibilities of Mr. Levene towards them, there is nothing I can add to the reply I gave the hon. Gentleman on 9 January 1985, at column458.