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 human resources assessment he has made of the (a) risk and (b) impact upon staff of the proposed sequence of relocation of the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency from (i) Caversfield to Ensleigh and (ii) Ensleigh to Abbey Wood.

Answer: The strategic intent of D E and S to focus acquisition related activities at Abbey Wood by 2012, of which the relocation from Caversfield of Defence Clothing IPT (DC IPT) forms a part, will require the relocation of significant numbers of posts to Bristol. The Project has already successfully moved over 1,000 posts from Andover to Abbey Wood. The risks and potential impacts on staff are therefore well understood and mitigation strategies, which have been proven to be effective, will be put in place for the DC IPT relocation. This includes the provision of direct support to staff and their families, comprehensive and flexible allowance packages and the redeployment and re-training of existing staff in the new location. The impact upon staff of the onward move from Ensleigh to Abbey Wood is expected to be minimal as the Travel to Work areas of the two sites significantly overlap. Staff are therefore expected to move home only once to cover both office moves.

Secondary information