§ 21. Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about purchase by his Department of electrical batteries. [11755]
80W
§ Mr. SpellarBatteries are purchased by many budget holders in the Ministry of Defence, either directly or as part of other projects, to meet the needs of all three Services. In all cases, a range of factors is taken into account including safety, storage and maintenance, disposal, and integration into other defence equipment. There are stringent tri-service procedures to ensure that any new battery or modification to existing batteries is an acceptable addition to the Department's range of codified batteries. Wherever possible, value for money is sought through competition against performance specifications, taking account of both initial purchase and through life costs.