§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the parts of his Ministry that have been(a) made into executive agencies, (b) privatised, giving the dates in each case, and (c) the parts of his Ministry he intends to privatise or make into executive agencies, giving the estimated dates in each case.
§ Mr. AitkenFour executive agencies have been established:
- Meteorological Office—1 April 1990
- Defence Research Agency—1 April 1991
- Duke of York's Royal Military School—1 April 1992
- Queen Victoria School—1 April 1992
- We have also created 10 defence support agencies:
- Hydrographic Office—1 April 1990
- Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment—1 April 1991
- Defence Accounts—1 April 1991
- RAF Maintenance Group—1 April 1991
- Military Survey—1 April 1991
- Service Children's Schools (North West Europe)—1 April 1991
- Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation—1 April 1992
- Defence Analytical Services Agency—1 July 1992
- Defence Postal and Courier Service—1 July 1992
- Defence Operational Analysis Centre—1 July 1992
Both executive agencies and defence support agencies are run wholly on next steps lines.
The only parts of the Ministry which have been privatised are the Royal Ordnance factories on 2 January 1985.
There arc no other parts of the Ministry which it is currently intended to privatise, although industry is being invited to express interest in purchasing the Royal Navy dockyards at Rosyth and Devonport.
Current candidates for agency status within MOD include the Ministry of Defence police, central services, the test and evaluation organisation, human factors research, some communications systems and elements of the logistic support and training organisations of the services. Looking ahead, we aim to identify all potential agency candidates by the end of next year. Areas under study include the balance of service logistics and training functions and the wider defence support area.