5 Apr 2000 Column: 487W http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo000405/text/00405w07.htm
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the criteria against which the applications for the new contract to run AWE Aldermaston were assessed. [113668]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 9 March 2000]: In assessing bids to manage and operate the Atomic Weapons Establishment from 1 April 2000 information was required from all participating consortia to demonstrate that their parent companies met full compliance on safety performance. This was essential to qualify for further consideration of the bids. Once over this hurdle assessment was made against the following criteria:
Safety (the risk of harm and potential harm to people, property and the environment to be as low as reasonably practicable).
National Capability (the ability of AWE to underwrite safety and reliability of nuclear warheads without recourse to nuclear testing and to maintain minimum capability to design and produce a successor to Trident if this were to be deemed necessary).
Security (the protection of assets, information and people).
Management (including the provision of Directors, adequate management measurement criteria and public relations).
Infrastructure (the maintenance of the capital asset base to support outputs and waste management and decommissioning).
Material (the production and through life support of weapons).
Commercial (including the costs of the contract).
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the areas of responsibility assigned to each of the three members of the AWE management consortium under the terms of the contract to manage the AWE Aldermaston site. [116344]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 27 March 2000]: It is intended that at the start of the contract responsibilities will be allocated to parent company nominees as follows:
Serco–Chief Executive, Business Services, and Communications
Lockheed Martin–Deputy Chief Executive, Research, and Production
BNFL–Assurance, Infrastructure, and Human Resources and Strategic Development.