§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the privatisation of his Department's travel business; and if he will make a statement. [20061]
§ Mr. FreemanThe majority of MOD travel business is currently booked through the joint service travel centre which arranges flight bookings for MOD service and civilian personnel, their dependants and MOD contractors. Additionally, it arranges travel bookings by rail, ferry and through the channel tunnel.
The JSTC has been subject to review on a number of occasions by independent consultancies which have compared the service it provides with those available in the commercial market place. It is currently being examined as a part of the wider defence costs study. This 307W review is being undertaken by a firm of independent consultants and their remit, which is wide ranging, and encompasses not only air travel but the provision of support services such as car hire, hotel bookings and the procurement of visas and passports. Until the study has been completed, and its findings analysed it would be premature of me to speculate on the suitability of further privatisation measures in the future.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to his Department's travel business in the last five years. [20062]
§ Mr. FreemanThe increased commitment by HMG to UN and out-of-area operations, such as the former republics of Yugoslavia and more recently Angola have placed heavy and persistent tasking levels on the RAF's fleet of transport aircraft. This pressure has resulted in my Department using commercial airlines for non operational airlift. This change of emphasis over recent years has resulted in the development of a sophisticated and cost-effective management approach in the commercial sector.
The Ministry of Defence has sought to reduce the cost of travel by taking advantage of commercial services for routine trooping purposes and have recently concluded negotiations with commercial airlines on a variety of routes; including the far east, northern Europe and the north Atlantic. An example is the trooping requirement between the UK and Germany where because of the distances involved and the frequency of service small to medium-size civil airliners provide the most cost-effective solution, thereby releasing the larger ATF aircraft—Tristars and VC10s—to meet long-range or operational tasks.
Use of commercial assets is also made for the movement of freight by road. This is achieved through the use of an enabling contract with a major freight carrier which also includes a requirement to support surges in movements arising from operational activity.
A further change has arisen through the placing of contracts with self drive car hire companies, the use of which is funded by individual budget holders within the department. The use of this service continues to increase as budget holders seek the most cost-effective means of meeting their travel requirements.