HC Deb 16 June 1999 vol 333 cc145-6W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value of technology developed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which has been made available to British industry by way of(a) licensing and (b) joint venture for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [86370]

Mr. Spellar

The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, DERA, does not assign a capital value to technology when transferred to industry. Instead, moneys are recouped by way of a running royalty over a number of years, sometimes as many as twenty. Details of the total licence income from UK industry for each of the last five years is detailed in the table:

Financial year £000
1994 450
1995 1,205
1996 1,419
1997 1,300
1998 1,468

The figures include income from non-equity joint ventures. DERA has been permitted to engage in equity joint ventures only since April 1999 and, so far, there has been no income from this source. Technology required by industry for government purposes is transferred free of charge; records are not kept of its theoretical value.

Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to pension arrangements for existing staff are planned if the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency becomes a public and private partnership; and if he will make a statement. [86670]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 11 June 1999]As the hon. Member is aware, we are currently conducting a consultation programme on proposals for a DERA Public Private Partnership. We hope to be in a position to make an announcement on DERA's future later in the year.

Only after this will we be able to assess future pension arrangements for DERA staff.

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