PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS FROM PS2 THE LEADING U.K. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMPANY
Contact:
Defence Committee
COMMITTEE OFFICE HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SW1A 0AA
Inquiries: 020 7219 6872/5745
5 of Session 2002-03
ORAL EVIDENCE SESSION
DEVELOPMENTS WITH QINETIQ
Tuesday 21 January
at 3pm: Qinetiq/Carlyle Group: Dame Pauline Neville-Jones (Chairman of Qinetiq), Sir John Chisholm (Qinetiq Chief Executive), Mr Glenn Youngkin (Managing Director, Carlyle Group)
at 4.15pm: Dr Lewis Moonie MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence, Mr Colin Balmer, Finance Director, Ministry of Defence
The Committee’s evidence follows the MoD’s announcement last August that it had selected Carlyle Group to take a stake as a ‘strategic partner’ in the currently MoD-owned Qinetiq, and the conclusion of the deal in December. The Committee will be examining that agreement and its implications, and following up four earlier inquiries by the Defence Committee in the last Parliament into the part-privatisation of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (which divided DERA between two new organisations-Qinetiq, now a plc, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory which remained part of the MoD).
Meetings will take place in committee rooms in the Palace of Westminster or Portcullis House. It is advisable to ring the office on 020 7219 5745 to check the precise venue a few days in advance of the session.
N.B. Llew Smith M.P. wrote a critical letter to the FT on Wednesday January 15th, criticising the ‘Arrogant MoD has not been open about QinetiQ’.
Written Answers to Questions
The following answers were received between 20 December 2002 and 6 January 2003
DEFENCE
Absent without Leave
Catterick Barracks
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons constitute the capacity of Catterick Barracks; how many (a) self-inflicted deaths and suicides and (b) other deaths have occurred in each year since 1990; and how many of these incidents were firearms-related. [88232]
Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Chemical and Biological Weapons
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the development of chemical and biological detection technologies to deal with the threat posed by chemical and biological weapons. [87928]
(2) what recent improvements have been made in capabilities to detect chemical and biological weapons. [88391]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence continually researches and develops technologies to improve our ability to detect chemical and biological warfare agents. The principal lead for this work is the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (Dstl), which in turn works closely with a number of industrial partners and overseas governments through international collaboration.
A range of new chemical detectors will be brought into service in 2003. The Man-portable Chemical Agent Detector (MCAD) and the Lightweight Chemical Agent Detector (LCAD) will replace the existing Nerve Agent Immobilised Enzyme Alarm and Detector (NAIAD). They have been developed to provide the armed forces with a comprehensive warning capability for vapours of chemical warfare agents. A new chemical agent monitor for use in collective protection is also expected to enter service.
Developments in the detection of biological warfare agents include the vehicle-mounted Integrated Biological Detection System (IBDS) which is due to enter service from November 2003. It will supersede the existing Prototype Biological Detection System (PBDS). Additionally, consideration is being given to fitting HM ships with a new Maritime Biological Detection System (MBDS) from 2007 to supersede the Interim Naval Biological Detection System (INBDS) currently in service.
7 Jan 2003 : Column 44W
Responsibility for the defence of the United