§ Baroness Howells of St Davidsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made with the quinquennial review of the medical agencies of the Ministry of Defence. [HL841]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)We are pleased to say that the review team have completed the first phase of their studies. As indicated in the Written Answer by my honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State, Dr Lewis Moonie, on 15 December (Official Report, Commons, col. 275W) to the honourable Member for Gedling (Mr Coaker), the team has covered medical arrangements for personnel in Germany and Northern Ireland; and the interrelationships between primary and secondary care, as well as the functions and organisation of the Ministry of Defence's four medical agencies—the Defence Secondary Care Agency, the Defence Dental Agency, the Defence Medical Training Organisation and the Medical Supplies Agency.
We have endorsed the broad lines of the review team's report on the first phase of its studies and have agreed a package of further work to underpin and confirm its provisional conclusions. A paper, summarising the main features of the team's initial report and the Phase 2 work, which will take place between now and the end of the year, is being placed in the Library of the House. As the paper indicates, this further work will result in a detailed report which will form the basis of full consultation.