HC Deb 06 December 1994 vol 251 cc201-3W
Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 November,Official Report, column 452, what is his estimate of additional manpower savings over and above those currently planned that could be made at Portsmouth if the Royal Marines school of music was located elsewhere in respect of (a) general administration, (b) supplies, (c) property management and maintenance, (d) catering and accommodation and (e) other manpower in each year from 1995–96 to 1999–2000; and what percentage of total costs at Portsmouth these represent.

Mr. Soames

None. There are no plans to employ extra staff in the large Portsmouth naval concentration as a result of the addition of the small musical training facility proposed at HMS Nelson. Nor would it be possible to make staff savings at Portsmouth if the Royal Marines school of music were not to relocate there, since tasks relating to the musical training facility would form only a small percentage of overall duties.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence below what monetary thresholds the costs associated with the option appraisal for the Royal Marines school of music are considered to be negligible and have therefore been excluded from the financial appraisals attached to his consultative document entitled "Future Location of Royal Marines Musical Training".

Mr. Soames

The appraisal aims to include all costs significant enough to affect evaluation or decisions. Generally, we follow the materiality concept defined in the publication "Official Terminology of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants".

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 November,Official Report columns 450–51, what are his wastage assumptions by month and by grade at those units to which military personnel would be reassigned if the Royal Marines school of music were to be relocated to Portsmouth in each year from 1996–97 to 1999–2000.

Mr. Soames

The numbers of personnel who would be affected by our proposal are small in comparison with the overall size of the Royal Marines. Such a change would be subsumed within the overall manpower planning process, and wastage assumptions in the level of detail requested would not therefore be necessary.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 November,Official Report, column 451, what is his estimate of the additional savings in property management costs, both capital and non-capital, that could be made at Portsmouth if the Royal Marines school of music was relocated elsewhere in respect of (a) refurbishment to office accommodation, (b) decorating and refurbishing married quarters or (c) decorating and refurbishing other housing owned by his Department or mess accommodation made available to service personnel in each year from 1995–96 to 1999–2000.

Mr. Soames

An estimated £47,000 per annum would be saved at Portsmouth by a decision not to relocate there. No other savings under the headings indicated would be available specifically by virtue of a decision not to relocate. As shown in the investment appraisal, this compares with an estimated cost of approximately £500,000 per annum were the Royal Marines school of music to remain at Deal.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the costed plans for the refurbishment of the detention quarters at Portsmouth.

Mr. Soames

A detailed statement of requirement for the facilities proposed for a Royal Marines school of music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth is being prepared, and will in due course be placed in the Library of the House. Beyond the broad order financial figures already indicated, the precise cost of the relevant alterations and refurbishment will of course ultimately be determined by competitive tenders to undertake the work; these figures would be commercial in confidence.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 November,Official Report, column 622, if he will make a statement on the steps he has taken to confirm (a) the availability of suitably qualified music professors in the Portsmouth area, (b) that the remuneration package assumed will be sufficient to recruit, retain and motivate music professors and (c) that the costs of recruitment of music professors and other staff will be negligible.

Mr. Soames

Preliminary investigations by the Royal Marines band service show that the recruitment of professors of music under the proposed terms and conditions for a school relocated to Portsmouth would present no difficulties. Portsmouth's relative proximity to London and other fairly large concentrations does not disadvantage it by comparison with Deal. It is confirmed that costs of recruitment are expected to be negligible.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date or dates military personnel would be reassigned to other units if the Royal marines school of music were to be relocated to Portsmouth.

Mr. Soames

Detailed planning for the reassignment of personnel will not take place until a decision on the future location of the Royal Marines school of music has been taken. Posting orders would probably be issued some four to six months before the relocation, but dates of specific postings would be decided taking account of a number of factors on which it is not possible to generalise. The overall aim will naturally be to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness in the use of manpower.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the number of full-time equivalent personnel at Portsmouth who would provide the range of services currently provided by the three mobile non-industrials, 10 non-mobile non-industrials and 54 industrials employed at Deal if the Royal Marines school of music were relocated to Portsmouth.

Mr. Soames

Apart from the music professors and up to 12 other posts to be created at Portsmouth within the RMSM, all tasks presently performed by other staff at Deal as a stand-alone establishment, will be undertaken without increase to the members of staff already needed to support the Royal Navy in the Portsmouth area.

Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 November,Official Report, column 452, what is his estimate of the additional savings in running costs that could be made at Portsmouth if the Royal Marines school of music was located or relocated elsewhere in respect of (a) heating, (b) lighting and (c) telecommunications in each year from 1995–96 to 1999–2000; and what percentage of total costs at Portsmouth these represent.

Mr. Soames

Should the Royal Marines school of music not relocate to Portsmouth and the royal naval detention quarters henceforth remain unoccupied as a result, an annual estimated total of £64,000—covering heating, lighting and telecommunications—would be saved. This is less, however, than the comparable expenditure currently incurred at Deal.