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Defence in the UK

Very little. This is a £12 billion PFI project spread over 25 to 30 years, but much of the risk will be carried by the private sector, and in particular by the two equity partners in Metrix, QinetiQ and Sodexo. This is a PFI project with much of the risk shifted to one side. As for the cost to the taxpayer, not only will we benefit from the most modern training in the world, but we will save money. The cost savings associated with reducing nine sites to one and getting rid of the current duplication in parts of our training provision over the next 25 years could be enormous. We win both ways. We win by securing the most modern training on offer in the most fantastic environment for learning, and we win by, over time, saving money in the defence training budget. That is what makes the project so attractive, and that is why—certainly in Wales—it has received all-party support from day one. Progress is being made, and it is being made well. We want that progress to continue until construction starts next year. The facility will provide 1,200 courses. Up to 6,000 recruits at any one time, and up to 25,000 military personnel per year, will be trained on the purpose-built site. The MOD and the Metrix consortium have worked very closely with members of the local community, and have adapted some of their proposals after consulting them. We expect the detailed planning for this huge development to proceed relatively seamlessly in the spring because of the involvement of the community. Until recently RAF St Athan was the largest military base in the United Kingdom, so we are used to having large numbers of military personnel in the area, but we have challenges to meet if the project is to succeed and our military personnel are to maximise the benefits that they deserve. It is sometimes forgotten that the better trained and better equipped our armed forces are, the fewer casualties result when they engage in warfare. Superior training is much more valuable than large numbers. The Russian invasion of Georgia was mentioned earlier. One of the reasons the Russians are considering modernising their forces is that, by and large, that invasion was a disaster. There was little control over the military personnel. They succeeded because of their overwhelming numbers, not as a result of being highly trained and highly professional. We have a big challenge ahead of us, and we must get the infrastructure right for the project to succeed. The building programme will take three to five years, and we must ensure that the transport network is upgraded to match the large numbers of personnel. The project is based around the super-hangar, which was part of the Red Dragon project, and an auditor's report on the matter is imminent. Whatever the report says in criticism or otherwise of the Government or of the Welsh Assembly, we should not lose sight of the fact that the hangar was a critical factor in securing the £12 billion investment to transform military training. The hangar will become the core site in the training development. Our armed forces deserve the best, and through that project they will receive the best. I hope that hon. Members on both sides of this House will continue to support the project, as they have in the past. I hope that those who are responsible for making the decisions to improve the infrastructure—they are not necessarily in this House—will ensure not only that our youngsters benefit, but that the local community does not suffer. I also hope that they take those decisions now. One or two critical decisions are coming up shortly. We will see a further extension of the contingent liability. Next month, the director of joint technical training for all three services will move to St. Athan. For those who doubt whether the project is on course, I point out that the director is taking a large team to oversee the transition from the existing colleges, as excellent as they are, to the brand-new, purpose-built site. The men and women who represent this country so courageously every day in some of the most difficult environments imaginable—in recent years, the Defence Committee has had the privilege of visiting some of them—deserve nothing less than the best possible training in the world. They will get that at St. Athan, and I hope that the whole House rallies to ensure that the project is delivered on time and in budget.