Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in the course of his inquiry into the atomic weapons establishment, Sir Francis Tombs was given access to commercially confidential information.
§ Mr. NeubertNo information which was classed as commercially confidential was given to Sir Francis (now Lord) Tombs in the course of his inquiry into the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what safeguards have been established to ensure that all the companies competing for the contract to manage the atomic weapons establishment had equal access to commercially useful information.
§ Mr. NeubertAll potential bidders for the management contract at the atomic weapons establishment were given a detailed invitation to tender document, attended a bidders conference and site tour and were given full opportunity to raise additional queries during an extensive pre-bid inquiry phase.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has decided to retain the safety division of the atomic weapons establishment after the introduction of private contractors.
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§ Mr. NeubertSafety will continue to be given the highest priority at the atomic weapons establishment after the introduction of a management contractor and the subsequent full contractorisation of the establishment. The safety division will become part of the contractorised establishment and will be supplemented by an additional layer of safety oversight from MOD.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet decided on the financial criteria that will be used to monitor the performance of the management contractors to be appointed at the atomic weapons establishment.
§ Mr. NeubertThe broad criteria against which the management contractor's performance is to be assessed were included in the invitation to tender for the interim contract phase which was issued to potential bidders on 6 April 1990. The detailed arrangements will be finalised during contract negotiation.