§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the closure of Royal Naval victualling depot, Wrangaton, and the transfer of the Royal Naval clothing storage task. [36268]
§ Mr. SoamesI announced decisions to implement the findings of the "Front Line First" studies as they affected future naval stores support to the Royal Navy on 14 February 1995,Official Report, column 611–12. These included the closure of RNVD Wrangaton by 31 March 1997.
The Defence Clothing and Textile Agency, DCTA, purchases and controls stock management of all service clothing. Financial savings would have arisen from the collocation of Navy clothing with Army clothing at Bicester under DCTA control due to the ability to rationalise stockholdings and by sharing the same IT system. However, at the time of consultation we have not been able to identify sufficient spare storage capacity at Bicester to collocate Royal Navy clothing with the Army bulk stocks already held there. It has subsequently been confirmed that sufficient storage capacity will now be available.
The proposal will now be subject to consultation. If it is confirmed, it would be implemented by 31 March 1996, which is now the planned closure date for RNVD Wrangaton.