§ Jean CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Bristol, East constituency, the effects on Bristol of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150558]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence has a wide-ranging presence throughout the UK in terms of defence establishments and the service and civilian personnel they employ. This presence brings benefits to many communities, local economies and jobs. Also, 60,000 new defence contracts are placed each year that provide support to industry and create and sustain defence-related employment.
The Ministry of Defence has maintained a very substantial number of personnel in the Bristol area: within a 25-mile radius distance of the constituency, MOD direct employees totalled some 15,700 personnel as of 1 October 1999 (service and civilian).
Since 2 May 1997, around 1,230 contracts with a total value of some £1,954 million were placed with prime contractors in the Bristol area1.
I draw attention to the Defence Analytical Services Agency report "UK Defence Statistics 2000", which contains a welfare of defence statistical information, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
1The decision as to where work under a particular contract will be undertaken rests with the contractor, therefore work on a contract placed with a prime contract in the Bristol area may well be done elsewhere: similarly, contracts placed with contractors outside the Bristol area could lead to sub-contracts on companies in Bristol.