§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the undertaking given by his predecessor concerning the number of civilian staff to be employed at Imphal Barracks following the transfer of the tri-Service Defence Vetting Agency to York and the removal of the 2 Division Headquarters from York to Scotland. [99469]
§ Mr. SpellarIn his answer of 26 March 1999,Official Report, column 434W, my predecessor stated that the strength of the Defence Vetting Agency would be 310 when the Agency collocates at York. The revised position is that the Agency strength immediately following collocation (in early 2001) will be 311.
Of those 311, a total of 130 will be Investigating Officers who currently work from their homes, and will continue to do so. Thus, the number of Defence Vetting Agency staff who will actually be working in Imphal Barracks immediately after collocation is 181.
The total number of civilian staff (including those of the DVA) who will be working at Imphal Barracks in early 2001 will be 430. The balance of 249 are Imphal Barracks staff, employed in various (mainly Army) units.
The Agency is introducing new vetting processes and IT systems at Imphal Barracks. It is therefore likely that the numbers of staff will vary slightly as these are tested and proved.