§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department and its agencies have spent on developing and constructing the DREAM rig at Pendine to date; and what is the projected work load for this facility in each of the next five years. [28039]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 9 February 1998]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Nick Ainger, dated 16 February 1998:
I have been asked to reply to your question about the cost and projected work load of the DREAM (Dynamic Research, Evaluation and Assessment of Munitions) rig.The DREAM rig is located at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range at Shoeburyness in Essex, not at Pendine. It was designed and constructed by Hunting Engineering in 1988–89 for research on the behaviour of small scale 'model' warheads against a variety of horizontal and vertical surfaces at a cost of £68,000 (about £100,200 at 1997 prices).Last year the rig underwent a major modification at a cost of £58,000. The DREAM rig is now used to conduct research on the attack of high value fixed land targets.The estimated use of the rig is 10 days for each of the next two years. There are, as yet, no details of the likely use beyond that date.I hope this information is helpful.