HC Deb 22 March 2004 vol 419 c540W
Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle; and when he expects this vehicle to enter service. [160809]

Mr. Ingram

No decisions have yet been made on the numbers and types of vehicles required for the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle role, nor have final decisions been taken on the procurement route to be adopted. Consequently, overall programme costs are not certain at this time. The in-service date for this project will not be set until the programme passes its main gate.

Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the procurement of the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle; and when he expects to make a decision on the awarding of the contract. [160810]

Mr. Ingram

A preliminary assessment has been made of the options to meet the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle requirement, including the feasibility of converting surplus Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles to this role. There are no plans for early contract award.

Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role of the proposed Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle will be. [160812]

Mr. Ingram

It is planned that Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle (ABSV) will be employed as a support vehicle within armoured battlegroups, where its use alongside Warrior and Challenger 2 will improve the coherence of, and ease support to, those fighting units. Potential roles for the ABSV include armoured personnel carrier, ambulance, and command vehicles.

Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the proposed future rapid effects system has had on the future requirement for the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle. [160813]

Mr. Ingram

The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme has had no significant impact upon the requirement for the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle (ABSV). It is intended that FRES will be employed primarily within future medium weight forces, while ABSV will he employed primarily within the existing heavy force.