UK Airwave Project

HC Deb 15 July 2002 vol 389 cc98-9W

Mr. Jack

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the UK Airwave Project, stating(a) its agreed cost, (b) how cost overruns will be dealt with and (c) how many suppliers will be able to supply operating equipment to the programme over its lifetime. [68067]

Mr. Denham

The projected cost of the Airwave framework arrangement over the next 19 years is £2.9 billion, at 1999 prices.

Airwave is a private finance initiative (PFI), hence the main contractor, 02, will be required to compensate police authorities for delays or failures on their part that undermine the service or cause additional expense to forces. The contract is structured such that additional costs will only fall to the public sector if changes are made to the agreed specification within the framework arrangement at the request of the contracting authority, the Police Information Technology Organisation.

It is very difficult to estimate how many suppliers of the relevant equipment there are likely to be over the lifetime of Airwave. In such a market, and with a contract of this length, it is important to maintain an open and competitive supply of equipment, which offers the opportunity to realise future technological advances.