§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on which occasions since 1997 procurement decisions have been taken on the basis of criteria other than value for money; and if he will make a statement; [134132]
(2) what studies have been commissioned by the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) on the value for money of domestic procurement; and if he will make a statement. [134133]
§ Mr. IngramInformation derived from all individual procurement decisions taken throughout the Department, of which there are many thousands each year, is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
However, value for money is a fundamental factor in all our procurement decisions. In assessing value for money we take account of the long term implications of decisions, including their industrial and wider economic impact. As set out in the Government's Defence Industrial Policy we seek to maximise the economic benefit to the UK from our defence expenditure, a healthy and globally competitive defence industry and the development of a high value technologically-skilled industrial base, consistent with the Governments wider manufacturing strategy.