§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the quality difference between shells manufactured in(a) the USA and (b) the UK by BAE Systems. [43392]
§ Dr. MoonieAll munitions, irrespective of the country of manufacture, must meet the Department's same high quality requirements and rigorous safety standards before entering service with the UK armed forces.
§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means he plans to apply benchmark prices to munitions. [43394]
§ Dr. MoonieBenchmarking is already an integral part of the Framework Partnering Agreement (FPA) between Royal Ordnance Defence (ROD) and the MOD. A specific Benchmarking Working Group, comprising both MOD and ROD staff, has been established within the FPA and currently uses two techniques to monitor benchmarking. These techniques are comparative analysis and performance analysis.