§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the proportion of garments currently purchased on behalf of his Department by the Defence Clothing and Textile Agency which are manufactured within the United Kingdom. [46194]
§ Mr. SpellarThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency (DCTA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Michael Roycroft to Mr. Andrew George, dated 24 June 1998:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the proportion of garments currently purchased on behalf of his Department by the Defence Clothing & Textiles Agency (DCTA), which are manufactured within the United Kingdom, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the DCTA.As stated in my Agency's letter to you of 24 April, some 80% of the garments purchased on behalf of the Department by the DCTA are through contracts placed in the UK. I am unable to say precisely how many of the garments are actually manufactured within the UK because prime contractors can vary the amount of work with sub-contractors during the contract. In the uniform area, the contractor is required to produce at least 10% of the items in his own premises, which generally means in the UK.I am sorry to have to give, what you may see as, an unhelpful reply but the base information is not collected.