HC Deb 12 July 2000 vol 353 cc569-70W
Mr. Quentin Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if there has been any delay in the Nimrod upgrade programme. [128704]

Dr. Moonie

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Quentin Davies, dated 12 July 2000: I am replying to your question (No 128704) to the Secretary of State for Defence about the Nimrod MRA4. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. You asked whether there had been any delay in the Nimrod upgrade programme. Following EAC approval for Development and Manufacture in July 1996, the Nimrod MRA4 contract was let with BAE SYSTEMS in December 1996 with an In-Service Date (ISD) of April 2003. Following technical and resource problems, BAE SYSTEMS advised the DPA in late 1998 that they could not meet this date. In May 1999, following extensive negotiations, the contract was re-baselined with an ISD of March 2005, a delay of 23 months, with the MOD securing various benefits in compensation. In the MPR 99 report, published on 6thJuly, the delay in the Nimrod MRA4 ISD is shown as 51 months. This derives from the method the NAO have used in the past to account for ISD slippage. As well as the 23 months described above, it includes an earlier cumulative delay of 28 months judged against the earliest estimate of when a Nimrod MR2 replacement aircraft was needed, but ahead of any meaningful Industry input. In future MPRs, ISD slippage will be measured against the most recent approval, which in the case of Nimrod MRA4 would be the Main Gate equivalent in July 1996. This will show the slippage to be the 23 months described above.

Shona McIsaac

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the contract at BAE in Brough to build Nimrods. [129945]

Dr. Moonie

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Robert Walmsley to Ms Shona McIsaac, dated 12 July 2000: I am replying to your question (No 129945) to the Secretary of State for Defence about the contract at BAE in Brough to build Nimrods. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. The contract for the conversion of current standard Nimrods to the new Nimrod MRA4 standard was placed with BAE SYSTEMS, Warton, who act as the prime contractor. A significant proportion of the activity on this programme has been placed by BAE SYSTEMS' sites, including Brough. The facility in Brough is principally involved in the design and manufacture of various aircraft components and installation tooling to support the aircraft build programme which will be undertaken at the BAE SYSTEMS' facility at Woodford.