HL Deb 25 May 1993 vol 546 cc7-8WA
Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have for the Defence Animal Centre.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)

The Defence Animal Centre (DAC) will be launched as a defence agency on 1st June 1993. The DAC is located at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire and employs 195 Service personnel and 43 civilians. Part of the Joint Service Dog Training Wing is at RAF Newton and this is also included within the boundaries of the agency, as is the subsidiary site at Syerston. The full cost budget for the DAC for 1992–93 is around £10 million.

The role of the DAC is to procure, train and issue dogs and horses, to train personnel in their handling and care, and to provide supporting veterinary services. The high professional standards of the DAC will be maintained and agency status will provide the chief executive with new opportunities to improve the efficiency and value for money of his organisation. Colonel Paul Jepson has been appointed as the agency's chief executive. The corporate strategy of the DAC will be pursued in the context of the following first year key targets: