Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment

HC Deb 31 January 1986 vol 90 c640W

Mr. Hancock

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if there are any plans to put the work of Admiralty surface weapons establishment, Portsmouth, out to private contractors.

Mr. Lee

The former Admiralty surface weapons establishment was merged on 1 April 1984 with other units to form the Admiralty research establishment (ARE). So far as ARE sites in the Portsmouth area are concerned, there are currently no firm plans to contractorise operations but a number of possibilities are being examined, including the operation and maintenance of facilities at Haslar and at the experimental diving unit and physiological laboratory at Portsmouth and Alverstoke, respectively.