1 Introduction
1. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
(Dstl) was established as a Ministry of Defence (MoD) Executive
Agency on 1 July 2001 and has operated as a Trading Fund since
that date.[1] The overall
objective of Dstl is to
deliver value to the UK taxpayer, by using its assets
and capabilities to deliver timely advice and solutions to the
Government's most important defence and national security-related
problems in the most efficient and effective manner. Value is
created and delivered by focusing Dstl efforts on the following
areas:
- meeting the requirements of the MoD;
- meeting the defence and national security-related
requirements of other governmental customers; and
- exploiting Dstl's intellectual property, in line
with government policy for technology transfer in order to generate
value for money for the taxpayer.[2]
2. We announced an inquiry into the work of Dstl
on 7 September 2006 as part of our scrutiny of the MoD's executive
agencies.[3] In undertaking
our inquiry, we took oral evidence on 28 November 2006 from Dstl
management: Dr Frances Saunders, Acting Chief Executive; Mr Peter
Starkey, Future Business Director; and Mr Mark Hone, Finance Director.[4]
To cover wider issues relating to defence research and defence
research funding we also, following the oral evidence session
with Dstl management, took oral evidence from MoD officials: Professor
Sir Roy Anderson, Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA); Mr Trevor Woolley,
Finance Director; Mr Mark Preston, Director of Business Delivery;
and Dr Paul Hollinshead, Director Science and Technology Policy.[5]
We received written evidence from the MoD.[6]
We are grateful to all those who contributed to our inquiry including
our specialist advisers.
3. In our recent inquiry The Defence Industrial
Strategy: update, we received evidence about defence research
and the Defence Technology Strategy which was launched on 17 October
2006.[7] We have drawn
on this evidence for this inquiry.[8]
1 Dstl Framework Document, November 2006, p 6 Back
2
Ev 23 Back
3
Defence Committee press notice, Scrutiny of the Defence Science
and Technology Laboratory, 7 September 2006 Back
4
Ev 1-12 Back
5
Ev 12-22 Back
6
Ev 23-42 Back
7
Ministry of Defence, Defence Technology Strategy for the demands
of the 21st century, October 2006 Back
8
Defence Committee, Sixth Report of Session 2006-07, The Defence
Industrial Strategy: update, paras 57-64 and evidence Back
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