§ Mr. McWilliamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to ensure that his Department remains open to innovative proposals from industry for more cost-effective ways of meeting defence requirements. [54143]
§ Mr. SpellarThe close involvement of Industry in conducting the Strategic Defence Review has been of considerable value to MOD. We are determined to build on this to foster closer and more co-operative relationships for the future. With this in mind, I am pleased to be able to announce that, following consultation with Industry, a MOD "Code of Practice on the Handling of Innovative Proposals" has been published today. The code explains what innovative proposals are, how my Department will deal with them, what they should include, and to whom they should be addressed.
A copy of the Code has been placed in the Library of the House.