Written question asked by Tony Baldry (Conservative) on Monday, 28 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 April 2008. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 May 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of the co-located commodity cluster operating from the three sites at Ensleigh, Foxhill and West Moors.

Answer: The collocation of the Commodities Cluster will be in two phases; the first being the merger of medical and general stores at Foxhill in Bath with the collocation of food and clothing at Ensleigh, also in Bath. The second phase will see the Commodities Cluster as a whole (including any appropriate elements from West Moors) forming up at Abbey Wood in 2011. These plans have been assessed as part of the Business Case for relocating DC IPT to Ensleigh, which included a full economic assessment to compare the relocation with retaining posts in their existing locations. This showed a saving of over £50 million compared to retaining the Commodities Cluster in their existing locations.

Secondary information