PCS ST Athan Evidence to the WAG Finance Committee

Thurs 21 st Feb 2008 - The Assembly's finance committee is looking as the role of private investment in public services. It is approaching the subject with an open mind and has no agenda, other than to establish whether services remain operational or at risk and whether they are value for money or not.

A response to the Assembly Finance Committee’s Inquiry into Public-Private Partnerships

FIN(3)-04-08 : Agenda

Finance Committee The agendas, papers and transcripts for each meeting of the Committee can be found here.

The Defence Training Academy

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 3 - written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by PCS

Read the whole report here
A recent example of a central government PFI deal affecting Wales is the award to the Metrix Consortium of a £19 billion contract to provide training for the armed forces at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. This consists of a programme to:

• Rationalise defence training across the Ministry of Defence (MoD);
• Reduce the number of sites where training is conducted;
• Use a PFI model to build the new training infrastructure to replace the current training and accommodation facilities; and
• Privatise training support and delivery.

It has generally been welcomed in Wales because of the prospect of thousands of jobs coming to St. Athan and the surrounding area. There are, however, some significant question-marks over the project.

The extent of the jobs gain and savings

The Metrix project originally consisted of two separate packages, which together accounted for an estimated total of 4,000 training staff who would have been in scope for transfer to the private sector, and relocation to St. Athan from numerous locations across the country. It was announced recently, however, that 'Package 2’ - covering logistics, security, intelligence, personnel and policing - is no longer considered economical and has been removed from the scope of the project. This accounts for around 2,000 staff and more sites than Package 1 and therefore calls into question the £2 billion savings that the deal was supposed to deliver

Loss of experience

PCS is extremely concerned about the assumption that the staff providing the services within and around facilities should automatically transfer. In discussions with the MoD, PCS has consistently raised concerns over the risk to defence training of instructional and support staff not transferring to the preferred bidder. Recent transfers indicate that between 80% and 90% of staff will not relocate. Whilst the MoD recognises this as a risk, it has not addressed the scenario, nor indeed offered any solutions. Instead the MoD states that such a risk will transfer to the bidder and is therefore not the concern of the department.

The belief that a single training specialist included in the bidding consortium can deliver the same high standard provided by the current training delivery staff is questionable. If large numbers of training staff were to decide against moving to the private sector, as our indicators suggest, we believe it is unlikely that the bidders could replace them with equally experienced instructors. The project therefore raises the spectre of an incalculable skills drain in specialist training.

Lack of accountability

PCS is concerned that the department will not to be able to control the costs of the project. The contract’s length and the fact that the first breakpoint - unprecedentedly - will not be until 15 years into the contract, will almost certainly lead to spiralling costs. Numerous factors could influence training requirements, including future deployments, new equipment and the quality of new recruits. The changing nature of Britain’s defence response will also impact upon the training requirement, and for these changes the private sector will exact a high financial price. A recent NAO report into MoD contracts noted that over 50% of contracts had to be altered due to changes in specification. In a twenty five year contract in an area as fast moving as defence and its associated training requirement, it is obvious that a large number of contract amendments will be made.

Thursday, 21 February 2008

FIN(3)-03-08 : Agenda

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 1 : written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by TUC

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 2 : written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by Unison

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 3 - written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by PCS

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 4 : Written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by NUT Cymru (pdf, 290kb)

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 5 : written evidence submitted to PPP Inquiry by WLGA (pdf, 116kb)

FIN(3)-03-08 : Paper 6 : Analysis of written evidence received for PPP Inquiry (pdf, 91.7kb)

Elfyn Llwyd MP

Elfyn Llwyd MP for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy 21^st Jan 2008

“As your letter implies the decision was one made by the Westminster Government.

Plaid Cymru recently debated St Athan in the context of its Defence Policy at National Council. After a very interesting and detailed debate it was decided that this would be a constituent of a conventional defence policy.

My personal view is that, although Plaid is not a pacifist party many Plaid members hold that view. I am not a pacifist as such and believe that Wales should play its full part in defending as opposed to conducting any aggressive military policy. …

You will know that we ahve established a strong reputation in the House of Commons in defending human rights and we have consistantly voted agaisnt Afghanistan and Iraq from the very beginning.

The motion that was passed at National council also calls on the Wales Assembly Government not to involve itself in arms sales.”

Contact Elfyn at his Constituency

Sheila Williams
Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales
Ty Glyndwr
Heol Glyndwr
Dolgellau
Gwynedd
LL40 1BD
email sheila@plaid-cymru.org
phone 01341 422661
fax 01341 423990

Westminster

Elfyn Llwyd MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
email llwyde@parliament.uk
phone 020 7219 3000

Surgery Details

Friday evenings, Saturday mornings monthly at:
Balenau Ffestiniog, Bala, Tywyn, Harlech, Bramouth and Llanrwst.

Weekly surgeries are held in Dolgellau.

For further information please contact Sheila Williams on 01341 422661.

National Council:

• notes the attached position paper on defence
• notes that the decision to establish a DTA at St Athan was the decision of the UK government alone
• notes that many party members for religious and moral reasons are campaigning against the development
• reiterates Plaid Cymrus opposition to privatisation, including that of military training

National Council further:

· supports the economic development programme of the One Wales government which will ensure the creation and retention of employment “firmly guided by sustainability principles, encouraging long term, high quality jobs” in all parts of Wales

· calls on the One Wales Government to remain committed to the stautory requirement in the Government of Wales Acts to promote sustainable development

· emphasises the need for the Assembly to be kept fully informed of all developments relating to the Defence Training Academy and to be consulted on all future decisions relating to the project

· notes that there is no direct spending by the NAG on the Defence Training Academy but asks that any ancillary spending by the Welsh government is made public

· calls for more detailed information about the kind of jobs that would be offered to local people and the planned wage levels

· calls on the One Wales Government to seek assurances that the companies involved in the Metrix consortium are not engaged in the illegal trade of unethical arms and to make that information public

· calls on the One Wales Government to request a guarantee from the British Government that no training will be offered to countries which are undemocratic or guilty of human rights abuses

· reiterates our opposition to the Iraq war and notes our concern regarding sending soldiers without them having the appropriate equipment.

John Smith pork-barrell award!

John Smith MP whooping 4 pages in the Glamorgan gem with that carton in it reminded me of this article! I think we should have an new award for him – the pork-barrelling award.

http://burningourmoney.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

In the national interest. Not. Jan 17 2007

pork-barrelling. That's the practice whereby US Congressmen divy up Federal tax dollars among themselves to pay for pet projects back in their constituencies. The general idea is to buy continued electoral support back home, although there have also been plenty of cases where more direct financial considerations are involved.

Some have argued that such things could never happen here because... well, we have a national government that acts in the interests of the entire nation, not just favoured bits of it.
Yeah. Right.

Last autumn we had the scandal of the electoral "heat maps", which Commissar Hewitt uses to decide which hospitals to let close- ie those in Tory areas- and which to protect- ie those in Labour marginals. In fact, as we later discovered, since 1997, 70% of new hospitals have been built in Labour constituencies.

Then last weekend - blow me down - we learned that exactly the same thing has been happening with schools. Under Labour's Building Schools for the Future programme, 27 out of 38, or 70% of the projects, have gone straight to Labour authorities.

And today we hear of yet another case, this time involving the oldest pork barrel of all- defence.

BOM and the oldest pork barrel of all- defence.
http://burningourmoney.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

readers will recall the case of St Athan, the MOD's aircraft maintenance facility in South Wales. Just before Christmas, MOD tried to bury the bad news that the base was to lose its maintenance contract, threatening thousands of local jobs.
Not surprising they wanted to bury it because St Athan is slap-bang in marginal Labour country, with the local MP, John Smith, sitting on a horribly wobbly majority of 1800.

Oh, er.

What to do? What to do?

Ah yes. Easy. Simply close some other bases in Tory or Lib Dem constituencies and transfer their work to St Athan.

Which is exactly what's happening Jan 2007. Des Browne has announced that St Athan is to be Britain's new Defence Training Hub, and that training will stop at Blandford Camp in Dorset, and at RAF Cosford in the Wrekin, terminating thousands of local jobs in both places.

And yup, both Blandford and Cosford are in Tory constituencies.

I think the appropriate expession is oink, oink.

PS We can't blog pork barrelling without just mentioning once again a few of the all-time US greats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pork_barrel&action=edit

Vale of Glamorgan council no time for opponents of the academy - but boasts of visit by MOD officials!

Vale Council briefed on defence training academy plans

Plans by the Metrix Consortium to create the £11bn defence training academy at the former RAF St Athan airbase have been the subject of discussions between Ministry of Defence officials and the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

During a visit to South Wales, Major General Tim Inshaw and Brigadier Geoff Nield visited the Civic Offices to meet council cabinet members, including leader Cllr Margaret Alexander, and officers.

St Athan is the site proposed for the development of a defence academy for aeronautical engineering, electro-mechanical engineering and communications and information systems training for the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. This is currently provided through nine locations across the UK.

Caption: Ministry of Defence officials Major General Tim Inshaw (centre) and Brigadier Geoff Nield have updated Vale of Glamorgan councillors and officers on the progress of the Metrix Consortium plans to create the £11bn defence training academy at the former RAF St Athan airbase. Also pictured are council leader Margaret Alexander, deputy leader Neil Moore (second left) and cabinet member for planning and transportation Chris Williams.

I hope that these councillors and officers will be also be prepared to meet campaigners against the military academy. They have not bothered to reply to our letters and have not given any reply to our concerns. This shown a bias in favour of the project which is unethical and in planning terms could be illegal.

08/02/2008

Cathy Owen from Amnesty International on St Athan Military Academy

Amnesty shame..I rang amnesty international here this morning and spoke to Cathy Owens who says they are a democratic org with a membership base. They don't have a position on St Athan voted by members. She can't campaign against privatisation or militarisation - or whether armed forces should or should not be trained in Wales. Amnesty doesn't oppose armed conflict as they support peace keepers being well armed and well trained. Is there a human rights issue involved? The St Athan campaign is not a core human rights issue. Amnesty has different priorites!

I am surprised at the negative attitude to one of the biggest issues in Wales involving international coporations involving arms dealers and private military contractors in Iraq. I hope mmembers will put forward a motion on this to the AGM.

Are there political considerations at work here? Is Cathy Owens too close to new labour and R Morgan Labour First minister of Wales?

However...Cathy Owens is a former lobbyist was described as Rhodri Morgan's answer to Alastair Campbell - Yes..Rhodris own spin doctor. Cathy Owens, who joined Amnesty International after a tempestuous three years during which relations between the Assembly Government and some elements of the media reached an all-time low. At one point the Assembly Government apologised to the civil service union Prospect over Ms Owens's allegedly hectoring manner towards some of its members. Previously she worked as a public affairs consultant in Wales, yes? PPS. Some quotes from Cathy -"It's for elected politicians to agree the way forward for public policy in Wales. We are talking about a situation where English speakers have rights too. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but no one voted for the Language Board either." "All journalists are bastards" ...in a mistaken call to Martin Shipton's voice mail. Yes, that's right, only the chief reporter of the Western Mail!

Israel: Winograd Commission disregards Israeli war crimes

... In addition, the launching of hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs, containing an estimated four million cluster sub-munitions (bomblets), ...31 January 2008

Counter Terror with Justice

The so-called “war on terror” has led to an erosion of a whole host of human rights. States are resorting to practices which have long been prohibited by international law, and have sought to justify them in the name of national security.

John Smith MP claims that Defence Academy is on the Curriculum

Is John Smith pic with pupils from a N power event? Defence academy on curriculum?

Young scientists and their MP enjoy
ic Wales, United Kingdom - 28 Jan 2008
PUPILS who enjoyed a practical science and MP, John Smith. He

Mr Smith said: “Young people learned more from scientists and engineers about

I told you yesterday that many parents will be horrified to read that young pupils at Llanwit Major Comprehensive school were doing course work on the benefits of the defence academy. Are the children being told about the arms companies behind this project? Are they being told about Raytheon’s association with cluster bombs or Sercos links to nuclear weapons? Are they aware of the PCS unions opposition to the privatising of military training? The school has not approached the campaign against St Athan Military Academy for information. The children in the photograph didn’t have the permission of their parents according to Mrs Thomas, deputy head, to appear in this misleading propaganda advertisement where they are pictured showing their work to John Smith who said "I am pleased that the benefits of the Defence academy provided St Athan are being studied in our schools" Deputy Head Mrs Thomas said “the training has nothing to do with politics, this is a Welsh Assembly Government careers education programme provided by Npower.” She went on to say that questions should be put to John Smith MP.

John Smith MP 4 page advertisement gaff & using children to mislead the public

John Smith should resign for misuse of parliamentary communications allowance and using school children, apparently without their parent’s permission, to mislead the public.

How horrifying is it to suggest that Defence academy is on the school curriculum!

?...On the 31st Jan when headlines where telling us that part, at least a third of a huge £15bn defence training academy ear-marked for St. Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan was being ditched John Smith MP was looking foolish publishing 4 whole pages in the Glamorgan Gem singing the praises of the academy and himself. He said in large print!! "the door remains firmly open for the whole training programme to be delivered at St Athan - using taxpayers money - his parliamentary communications allowance"

CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of weapons companies such as Raytheon associated with cluster bombs.

Many parents will be horrified to read that young pupils at Llanwit Major Comprehensive school were doing course work on the benefits of the defence academy. Are the children being told about the arms companies behind this project? Are they being told about Raytheon’s association with cluster bombs or Sercos links to nuclear weapons? Are they aware of the PCS unions opposition to the privatising of military training? The school has not approached the campaign against St Athan Military Academy for information. The children in the photograph didn’t have the permission of their parents according to Mrs Thomas, deputy head, to appear in this misleading propaganda advertisement where they are pictured showing their work to John Smith or who said "I am pleased that the benefits of the Defence academy provided St Athan are being studied in our schools" Deputy Head Mrs Thomas said “the training has nothing to do with politics, this is a Welsh Assembly Government careers education programme provided by Npower.” She went on to say that questions should be put to John Smith MP.

John Smiths 4 page spread is full of misleading and downright false information. The news that package 2 of the St Athan Military Training Academy was dumped has been on the cards since October 2007. Another wheel has come off this trundling white elephant. John Smith MP should resign for brainwashing and using children to promote himself, war and military training. How many more wheels will have to be lost before John Smith MP stops misleading the public, realise that the whole project is a terrible mistake, and is not going anywhere. I have today complained to the advertising standards agency.

Note - For the whole 4 page spread email me and I will attach it asp.

Plans for £15bn St Athan academy are hit
ic Wales, United Kingdom - 31 Jan 2008
PART of a huge £15bn defence training academy ear-marked for St. Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan is being ditched The two-part project would have seen all UK defence training centralised in south Wales. But the second part of the scheme, dealing with ...

Part of St Athan defence training centre is dropped
ic Wales, United Kingdom - 31 Jan 2008
PART of a huge £15bn defence training academy earmarked for St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan is being ditched, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

Paul Murphy's Hawk Record

Paul Murphy new Secretary of State foisted on Wales. Looking at his record there doesn't seem to be much hope of his support to stop the St Athan Project!

Voting record (from PublicWhip) www.paulmurphymp.co.uk

How Paul Murphy voted on key issues since 2001:
• Has never voted on a transparent Parliament
• Voted moderately for introducing ID cards.
• Voted very strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
• Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
• Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
• Voted strongly against investigating the Iraq war.
• Voted very strongly for replacing Trident.

Paul Murphy was chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee
which produced a report on UK Agencies and Rendition in July 2007.
The Committee concluded that there was no evidence of any UK Agency
being directly involved in the U.S. rendition programme, including
any “Extraordinary Renditions”!

MURPHY, Rt. Hon. Paul (Torfaen) Register of members interests

Extraordinary rendition by the United States - Wikipedia, the free ...

Extraordinary Renditions allegedly have been carried out from these ..... 2005, that the British...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_rendition

UK 'breaking law' over CIA secret flights | Special reports... Andrew Tyrie, the Tory MP and chairman of the parliamentary group, said: "By apparently...

BBC NEWS | Programmes | This World | Shedding light on CIA mystery ... The BBC's This World investigates "extraordinary renditions", ... or Europe The UK Government has said it does not know and has no way of finding out who was aboard the 80 CIA flights that landed on British soil.

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | MI5 enabled UK pair's 'rendit... Telegrams sent by the British security service led to the "extraordinary rendition" of...

He certainly wouldn't want himself or his colleagues to lose their jobs in the commons gravy train!

Fewer Welsh MPs bonkers, says Murphy ic Wales, - 29 Jan 2008 CUTTING the number of Welsh MPs to reflect the post-devolution age would be “bonkers”, Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy said yesterday. ...

Murphy dampens referendum thoughts ic Wales, - 28 Jan 2008 A REFERENDUM on a Welsh parliament is unlikely to occur before the next Assembly elections, new Welsh secretary Paul Murphy said yesterday. ...

Bloggers on Murphy!

The Secret life of Paul Murphy.

25 Jan 2008 by Paul Flynn Paul Murphy MP for Torfaen has done a Lazarus. He is restored as Secretary of State for Wales and reunited with his beloved red boxes, chauffeur driven car and swish Gwydir House. Paul is a politician of mystery. ...

Life Without Hain

31 Jan 2008 by Ordovicius For some reason Ive always believed that Peter Hain is a lot younger than Paul Murphy. I got a bit of a shock then when I realised that there are only two years between them with Mr Hain at 57 and Mr Murphy approaching his 60th birthday ...

Rhodri and Paul Murphy have worked together for decades and understand one another completely....

Paul Murphy: Steady as he goes...

24 Jan 2008 Miss Wagstaff tells us that Paul Murphy originally became Secretary of State for Wales on 28 July 1999, until appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 24 October 2002 to 5 May 2005. On leaving government he became chairman of the Intelligence and ...and points out that

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones (2001):

Paul Murphy is clearly out of touch with the growing feeling in Wales, and within his own party in the National Assembly. Those of us who have to work within the current settlement see its obvious flaws and a growing number of Labour AMs are coming out to support a law-making Parliament, because they are frustrated at the Assembly's failure to deliver in key policy areas. Paul Murphy and the 'dinosaur tendency' in the Labour Party are being left behind in this debate.

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones (2008):

I welcome Paul Murphy's appointment and look forward to working with him. His role will be pivotal in steering the Welsh Assembly Government's bids for the right to legislate through Westminster and in working with us to deliver the One Wales programme of Government.

...Whoops....!!!!

Contact Paul with your views.

Constituency 73 Upper Trosnant Street Pontypool Torfaen NP4 8AU phone 01495 750078 Westminster Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA email hunta@parliament.uk