§ Lord BachMy honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence32WS (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
I am announcing today that I have asked the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Personnel to explore whether there is scope for further service improvement through the greater integration of services delivered by the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and the Veterans Agency. This is consistent with our overall policy at the Ministry of Defence to continue to improve the administrative support we provide to the Armed Forces and veterans.
This study will build on the opportunities offered by the joint personnel administration programme that will go live progressively during 2006. This review will take full account of the Government's intent to maintain a sharp focus on the delivery of services to all veterans. Trade unions, staff and customers including veterans' groups will be consulted before any conclusions are reached. I expect to report on the outcome of the study before the Summer Parliamentary Recess.