§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bids have been received for the sale of an equity share in QinetiQ; and what proportion of the equity is proposed for sale. [56637]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 10 April 2002,Official Report, column 14W, to the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key). Initial bids for the sale of an equity share in QinetiQ are due to be received on 20 May.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whom he has appointed as non-executive chair of QinetiQ; and what other interests the person has. [56625]
§ Dr. MoonieAs announced on 8 May in a QinetiQ press release about Sir John Egan's decision to step down, Dame Pauline Neville-Jones has been appointed as the chairman of QinetiQ, having previously been the senior non-Executive Director. Dame Pauline has worked extensively in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and 645W has been chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. She is currently a BBC governor, with special responsibility for the World Service, and chairman of the Information Assurance Advisory Council. She also is a member of the Council of City University and hon. treasurer of the charity Refuge. The change of chairman will not affect the transaction timetable, which remains on track.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the bids for an equity share in QinetiQ will be judged against(a) commercial, (b) industrial and (c) strategic considerations; and if he will make a statement. [56638]
§ Dr. MoonieYes. As with all competitive bidding processes, the Ministry of Defence seeks to take into account all relevant factors, including commercial, industrial and strategic, when assessing competitive bids to ensure that the MOD meets its objectives and obtains the best value for money.