§ [This Statement was received too late to be published on Thursday, 18 November 2004.]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am now able to update the House on the defence training review (DTR) following the initial Statement by my right honourable friend the Minister for the Armed Forces on 25 November 2002 (Official Report, cols. 1WS–2WS). The process to determine the most appropriate and cost-effective means of delivering rationalised specialist training has been completed, and we have now issued invitations to negotiate (ITNs) to the shortlisted bidders.
The DTR rationalisation programme will modernise and improve specialist training by rationalising training delivery and facilities on defence rather than single service lines and through the more efficient use of a reduced training estate. A partnering arrangement with industry is envisaged to take this programme forward.
In addition to confirming the significant benefits of better accommodation, improved utilisation of 2WS training facilities, and more modern specialist training delivery, discussions with industry and stakeholders have also identified the scope for economies of scale through the packaging of individual training streams. We propose two contractual packages, comprising:
Package 1:
aeronautical engineering, electro-mechanical engineering and communication and information systems.
Package 2:
logistics, police and personnel administration and security, languages, intelligence and photography.
By consolidating training activity on to a reduced number of sites we expect to achieve significant savings through a more cost-effective use of a reduced training estate, including the disposal of a number of surplus sites.
We have sought proposals that capture our requirement for flexibility, joint working and continuous improvement, both in terms of quality and cost, appropriate incentives and transfer of risk.
The next step will be for bidders to develop their proposals, and we expect to receive these by 16 September and 17 October 2005. Decisions on the locations for these rationalised defence training establishments will follow the evaluation of these proposals, and selection of the preferred bidder for each package.
This is one of the department's major change programmes and we recognise the need to keep the personnel potentially affected informed of developments. We will continue to consult fully with the trade unions.