§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the "defence research agency", which, according to their advertisements is to be "run as a business", will be allowed to choose its own clients and its own products.
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)The defence research agency's primary role will be to provide expert technological support and independent advice to the Ministry of Defence. It will be encouraged to widen its customer base to further exploit its intellectual and physical assets. It is intended that the agency will develop its business along more commercial lines with a defined customer/supplier relationship being established for all work which it performs. The agency's policy and resource framework document will address how this is to be achieved including the fields of activity in which it may operate without conflicting with its primary role.