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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department has in place to encourage the retention of scientists (a) within Dstl and (b) engaged in research in other parts of the Department. [219028] Mr. Ingram: We recognise the value of scientific staff to the Department and have in place a number of measures to retain their expertise and experience. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has strong head of profession leadership through the Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG). The group supports technical staff by coordinating training, development, career progression and Chartership. In general, the Department is on a par with the best of major employers of specialists in terms of retention rates. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), with a turnover of £340 million, is the biggest employer of research scientists in the MOD. Dstl provides considerable training and development opportunities--technical training programmes are offered to develop and refresh technical knowledge and there is a Chartership Scheme accredited to eight professional institutions which is open to all staff. Dstl staff are also allowed time off to undertake further study such as MSc or PhD qualifications with relevant tuition fees paid. There are links with five universities for research purposes and staff are encouraged to spend time in other laboratories to ensure that knowledge remains current. Secondments are available to other areas of the Department and Government, UK industry and international laboratories. There is an internal symposium held annually to encourage networking and debate on topical research areas. There is a Scheme for Technical Education and Professional Support to encourage networking, conferences and events for junior staff and a Fellowship Scheme which gives recognition to senior staff who are acknowledged as national or international experts in their field. Similar benefits are available for scientists engaged in research in other parts of the Department, including the Hydrographic Office, the Meteorological Office and central MOD.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c1733-4W;432 c1727-9W; 219028

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Defence Ministry of Defence Training Research Scientists Dstl

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk