§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 21 December 1999,Official Report, column 468W, concerning the move of the Defence Vetting Agency to York, if he will estimate the number of people living within 50 miles of York who will be working at the Defence Vetting Agency. [104667]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Agency is in the early stages of forming up at York. It will be taking on staff (mainly from HQ 2nd Division but also through local recruitment) at various points between now and early 2001, when the Agency will reach its full strength at York of 181. Many posts are still unfilled.
It is expected that all permanent staff working for the Agency at Imphal Barracks in the eventual workforce will live locally and commute daily. It is not our normal practice to check on the distance that individuals commute, but a random survey suggests that the overwhelming majority of our York-based workforce will live within 50 miles of York.
In my earlier answer I explained that, in addition to the 181 DVA staff who will be based at Imphal Barracks, the Agency would employ 130 Investigating Officers who would work from their homes. The location of these Officers is tied to the major areas of MOD employment across the UK. The Officers are tasked from, and report to the Agency at York, but will very rarely travel there.