§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were taken into account when deciding to relocate the PPA Pensions Office from Worcester to Cheadle Hulme; what assessment was made of the impact on the Worcester area of the change; what assessment he has made of the effect on the quality of work following the move; and if he will make a statement. [56561]
§ Mr. SpellarThe proposal to close the Pay and Personnel Agency (PPA) pensions office in Worcester and move the work to the existing spare accommodation on the PPA site in Cheadle Hulme arose from an efficiency review of the whole of the PPA.
The main factors in the report were the proposals for the most efficient running of the PPA and the important savings arising from implementing them. I understand the disappointment of the 130 staff currently employed in the Worcester office but the proposed closure is part of a reorganisation of the Agency which, when completed, will produce significant and necessary savings in running costs. The review recognised the possibility of redundancies in the Worcester office, although the MOD will aim to find alternative work for as many staff as possible.
The PPA management board are confident that the work can be satisfactorily transferred to Cheadle Hulme thus avoiding redundancies there. They also recognise the need for a careful transfer of skills to ensure that there is no lessening in the quality of the pensions work undertaken by the PPA.
The efficiency review recommendations are currently the subject of consultation with MOD Trade Union officials and I shall make a further statement when that process is completed.