§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken to introduce a new accounting system into to the Defence Research Agency; who took the decision; which company was awarded the contract; and what is its value. [27548]
§ Mr. FreemanIntroducing a commercial accounting system was an integral part of setting up the Defence Research Agency as a next steps agency in April 1991, and is a particular Government requirement for creating a trading fund which the DRA became two years later. The original decision to commission work on the system was taken in 1989 by the Ministry of Defence and the investment appraisal for the system approved in 1990. A number of companies have assisted with the work with the principle systems implementation contract, worth —7 million between 1990 and 1994, being awarded to Coopers and Lybrand.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is the current chief executive of the Defence Research Agency; when he was appointed; and who was his previous employer. [27549]
337W
§ Mr. FreemanThe Defence Research Agency was formally incorporated into the enlarged Defence Evaluation and Research Agency on 1 April 1995. John Chisholm, who was appointed chief executive of the DRA on 15 July 1991, was invited by the Secretary of State for Defence to be chief executive of DERA. Previously, Mr. Chisholm had been United Kingdom managing director of SEMA group plc.