HC Deb 18 May 1992 vol 208 cc40-1W
Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the date on which Ministers approved the proposals to restructure the fleet support.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

In March 1992 Ministers endorsed a package of proposals designed to achieve staff savings and restructure the Department's headquarters organisation as a contribution to overall economies in the support area. One of these proposals was the establishment of a new naval support command.

Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how large the establishment of the proposed naval support command will be.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The headquarters establishment of the new naval support command will be in the order of 3,300.

Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the staff who will make up the proposed naval support command are currently situated.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The naval support command will bring together staff currently located in or near Bath, London, Portsmouth, Weymouth and Stockton-on-Tees.

Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the advantages and disadvantages of collocating all naval support command staff on one site.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

Work is under way to assess all relevant factors involved in setting up the new naval support command including the costs and benefits of full collocation. A principal advantage gained from the collocation of headquarters staff would be the greater effectiveness of multi-disciplinary groups dedicated to supporting equipments and systems in service.