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Beef
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what percentage of beef provided for the armed services is (a) of British origin, (b) of EU origin and (c) of Argentinian origin; [16907]
- (2) what factors are used in determining the country of origin of beef consumed by the armed forces. [16908]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The procurement of food for the armed forces is currently contracted to the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes. My Department does not specify the source or origin from which the NAAFI should obtain beef, or any other meat, but expects it to seek the best market prices for the products. There are no constraints on the choice of British meat products which are considered
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equally with meat products sourced generally in the open market. The majority of our requirements are, however, for frozen beef.
The British market deals predominantly in fresh beef and consequently does not normally offer frozen British beef at the most competitive prices. As a result, most of our requirements are sourced from south America--mainly Brazil and Uruguay--New Zealand and Australia. A limited range of beef products including sirloin, foreribs, minced and diced beef are currently procured in the UK on value for money grounds. No records are kept of the volumes or percentages provided from the UK, EU or South America and this will, in any event, vary dependent upon markets providing the best value for money.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring takes place by his Department of the use of external consultants by non-departmental public bodies. [16761]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Advice on the use of external consultants is available to all of my Department's non-departmental public bodies, as listed in "Public Bodies", to ensure that they operate within the framework of controls set out in the Treasury and Cabinet Office guidance "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments".
My Department's non-departmental public bodies do not make significant use of external consultants, as shown in my answer to the hon. Member on 14 January 1997, Official Report, columns 233-34. In the past five years, only two of our bodies, the Oil and Pipelines Agency and the RAF Museum, have spent money on services of this sort. In the case of the Oil and Pipelines Agency, there is a requirement for prior approval from my Department for all consultancy services. In the case of the service museums, different arrangements apply depending on the circumstances of the body, but there is a very close relationship between the museums and their departmental sponsoring divisions which ensures that any plans to use consultancy services should be known in advance.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he announced the closure of the junior leader unit at Harrogate, North Yorkshire; when the site closed; when his Department put the Harrogate site up for sale; which estate agent was hired to sell the site; what has been the total cost to public funds to date of the attempted sale of the site; and if he will make a statement. [16844]
Mr. Soames:
Following an initial announcement on 10 March 1992 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Sir A. Hamilton) when Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Official Report, column 496, about the future of junior leader and apprentice training, it was announced on 16 December 1992 that Harrogate was not to be converted to accommodate an Army junior leader regiment and that alternative defence uses would be sought. The site was formally closed on 1 December 1996. The Leeds office of Knight Frank commenced the marketing campaign in November 1995, but work on the
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sale of the site has been suspended pending a decision on the location of the proposed Army Foundation college. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, I am withholding information on the fees incurred in relation to this commission under exemption 7 of the code of practice on access to Government information.
Dr. Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he announced the termination of the junior leaders scheme. [16843]
Mr. Soames:
My right hon. Friend the member for Epsom and Ewell (Sir A. Hamilton), when Minister of State for the Armed Forces, announced the cessation of the junior leaders scheme in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Dr. Goodson-Wickes) on 16 December 1992, Official Report, columns 335-36.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the value of efficiency savings made by (a) the royal yacht and (b) royal squadron in each of the last three years. [16894]
Mr. Soames:
The annual running costs of HMY Britannia, excluding repair and refits, have remained broadly constant over the past three years. I refer the hon. Member also to my answer of 9 January 1996 to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) Official Report, column 96.
Prior to 1 April 1995, royal flying tasks were undertaken by the Queen's Flight, based at RAF Benson. From that date, the flight was incorporated into No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, tasked with undertaking a full range of communications, VIP and royal flying duties. This change was designed to achieve improvements in cost-effectiveness through better use of aircraft assets and through greater efficiency in support areas. Subsequently, the new arrangements for the funding of royal travel announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 16 October 1996 will facilitate further improvements in cost-effectiveness through the closer involvement of the royal household as the customer for the service provided by the squadron for royal tasks.
Mr. Mans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the armed forces' personnel administration and pay organisations. [17293]
Mr. Soames:
The Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency will be launched on 1 April 1997. The aim of AFPPA is the cost-effective provision, on a tri-service basis, of data and systems for the payment of military personnel, and to support the personnel management function, in peace, including crisis, transition to war and war. The agency will be formed from the Directorate of Naval Personnel Services and the Directorate of Naval Pay and Pensions at Gosport; the Directorate of Administrative Information Systems (Army) at Worthy Down, near Winchester; and the Directorate of Administrative Information Systems (RAF) and the RAF Pensions Branch at Innsworth, near Gloucester. In addition, a small agency headquarters office will be created at Innsworth in the first instance. On formation, the agency will employ some 1,000 civilian
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and 200 military staff. It is also the intention, at a later date, that pay, pensions and personnel administrative elements of the recently formed Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow should come within the agency.
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