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Mr. Freeman: This figure of 20 per cent. represents a level of savings achieved in other market-testing exercises. This is the target the in-house team have been asked to aim at in formulating its bid.
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what market testing criteria are applicable to the in-house bid by Defence Accounts Agency Department of Accounts (Bills) for the retention of its service. [16915]
Mr. Freeman: The Accounts (Bills) in-house bid is being handled under the Department's market testing procedures. The bid is presently being evaluated against a formal statement of requirement, and if it is compliant a three-year service level agreement will be recorded between the MOD and the in-house team. The criteria for evaluating the bid include service delivery and standards, customer satisfaction,. flexibility and overall value for money.
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the decision to reduce the running costs of Defence Accounts Agency Department of Accounts (Bills), Liverpool by 20 per cent. by 31 March 1996. [16918]
Mr. Freeman: The decision to keep the work of Accounts (Bills) in- house was made on the understanding that the in-house team should be asked to achieve the sort
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of savings that might have been possible with a full commercial test. The financial target is 20 per cent. but the in-house team's bid will also be evaluated against a formal statement of requirement which includes quality, standard of service and value for money performance criteria.Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessments he has made of the impact on running costs of having the works currently carried out by Defence Accounts Agency Department of Accounts (Bills), Liverpool contracted out to a private sector firm. [16914]
Mr. Freeman: No specific assessment has been made although the levels of saving achieved through market testing have influenced the financial target set for the Accounts (Bills) in-house team.
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans he has for maintaining the service provided by Defence Accounts Agency Department of Accounts (Bills), Liverpool in the event of its in-house bid being unsuccessful. [16916]
Mr. Freeman: The in-house bid is being evaluated. If it fails to meet the requirement the options for maintaining the service provided by Accounts (Bills) will be reviewed in the light of the reasons for non- compliance.
Redundancies
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the ratio of field officers and above to other ranks before and after the recently announced redundancy programme; and if he will make a statement. [14935]
Mr. Soames: Before the recently announced programme of redundancies arising from the Defence costs study, the ratio of Army other ranks to field officers was approximately 14:1; in future it will be approximately 17:1. It has been possible to achieve these reductions without the need for a large redundancy programme, and no further Army redundancies beyond those already announced are anticipated in the foreseeable future.
BBC "The Vet" Series
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement about the animals and equipment which were housed at vacant dwellings owned by his Department on the Furse Park estate at Barne Barton in Plymouth, in connection with the filming of the BBC TV vet series; [14931]
(2) how many vacant dwellings owned by his Department on the Furse Park estate at Barne Barton in Plymouth were used by the BBC this year in connection with the filming of a programme about vets; and how much was paid to his Department for this purpose. [14932]
Mr. Soames: A single vacant married quarter on the Furse Park estate at Barne Barton, Plymouth, was used during the filming of a production entitled "The Vet". No animals or equipment were housed in the property, and the fee paid by the company is commercial in confidence.
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Training
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to make available information on military aid to foreign countries. [16723]
Mr. Soames: We disclose details of those countries which receive United Kingdom training, whether in the UK or overseas, and also the total numbers of students concerned during any particular period. It is not normally our practice to disclose the precise details of military training given to any particular country as such details are regarded as being confidential between Governments. There are no plans to change this policy.
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Road Transport Regulations
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will publish the new edition of the joint service road transport regulations; and how many copies will be printed. [16807]
Mr. Soames: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will arrange for a copy of the new edition of the joint service road transport regulations to be sent, as promised in his letter of 4 January, as soon as it is available. We expect some 3,600 copies of these regulations to be distributed around the middle of the year.
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