§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for the future of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. [51070]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 21 July 1998]: We have said in the White Paper on the Strategic Defence Review (Cm 3999) that we will harness the opportunities offered by Public Private Partnership to strengthen the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency's ability to continue to provide world class scientific research well into the next century.
We are keen to involve all the stakeholders in taking forward our plans and in deciding on the best practical means of achieving our objectives. We shall, therefore, be consulting widely with industry, DERA management and staff representatives, the scientific community and our key Allies before reaching decisions.