Written question asked by Gerald Howarth (Conservative) on Thursday, 24 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2005. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Thursday, 7 April 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what technical sources the Department used for impartial advice on the Government's (a) science and technology projects and (b) equipment procurement spending in addition to DSTL in each of the last five years.

Answer: Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical sources the Department used for impartial advice on the Government's (a) science and technology projects and (b) equipment procurement spending in addition to Dstl in each of the last five years. [219034] Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has its own staff within the Department in addition to Dstl to provide advice on both science and technology projects and equipment procurement. These resources have been available since before the formation of Dstl. MOD does use QinetiQ, industry and academia where appropriate and when impartiality can be assured. In these cases, the majority of final synthesis of technical advice is performed by MOD's own resources.

Secondary information