Politicians on St Athan Military Academy

The Aerospace Business Park a 'dog's breakfast

2011-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

The Aerospace Business Park a 'dog's breakfast ...14 Jan 2011 ... Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones told Mr Davies that the government remained committed to the business park, which was a phased development over the next ...
‘£43 million spent, but not one job created’... We keep saying this and so duid the auditor some years ago..but they never learn..
THE Welsh Assembly Government has spent £43 million developing the Aerospace Business Park at St Athan so far, but not a single job has been created there, an AM claims.

Calling the situation a “dog’s breakfast,” South Wales Central AM Andrew Davies this week questioned what the taxpayer has to show for his money.

In a series of questions to Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Minister for transport and the economy, Mr Davies, who is a Conservative regional member, asked how much WAG had spent on land acquisition, professional fees and general development costs for the Aerospace Business Park, as distinct from money spent in preparation for the Defence Technical College scheme which is on hold.

“I was told that two sums had been spent – £19.2m and £24.7m, bringing the total to just under £44m,” he reported.

“It took the minister a month to actually answer the question and as I specifically asked a question about the Aerospace Park, with no mention of the Defence Technical College, I am assuming that the overall figure relates just to the park.

“But there seems to be a lot of uncertainty at the Assembly about this. Nobody seems to have a handle on it.

“It was a simple enough question – how much money have you spent? I was not asking how many shovels they had bought or how many envelopes had been used. This was their answer.”

He also asked how many jobs will have been created by 2015 and when the first business would move into the park.

The reply from Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is also the deputy first minister, said that they were highlighting the benefits of St Athan to potential investors, based on the facilities available and the strong skills base. A number of investment leads had been generated.

Pressed by Mr Davies about how many leads, he further replied on Monday that since 2008, there have been 10 expressions of interest of which eight are still live.

Mr Davies said it would appear that there was nothing to show as yet for the expenditure of £43m.

“This is a huge sum of public money spent on a project which has not delivered one single job to the economy either of the Vale or south Wales.

He continued: “It was six years ago that the Aerospace Business Park was first proposed by WAG, in response to the announcement by DARA that it was closing down its operation at St Athan with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

“The Aerospace Business Park was supposed to replace some of those jobs and give the highly-skilled workers at DARA alternative employment. But the last of the DARA jobs are going this month and there are no new jobs for people to move across to.

“My fear is that the skills base we had here in Llantwit and St Athan will disperse and it will not be possible to lure in aerospace companies by saying that there is a skilled workforce locally. Those people will have gone to jobs elsewhere in the country.”

Mr Davies stated that he had grave reservations about the way in which the ABP had been promoted by WAG, as there are no prospects of new jobs at the moment.

He said: “I want to know how committed they are to this project. The later decision to site the Defence Technical College at St Athan has clouded the issue. The truth is that ABP was a stand-alone project which was announced two years before the college.

“But we have nothing to show in this area after six years and the spending of more than £40m.”

It seemed “incredible” that not one civilian aerospace firm had been enticed to the site, despite the presence of suitable facilities, a highly skilled workforce, and the spending of a lot of public money.

Mr Davies pointed out that the area had lost the “critical mass” of skilled workers, and now potential investors must wonder if they will be able to recruit the engineers and others they need.

He added that what had happened was a betrayal of the aspirations and hopes that local people had in 2004.

“It’s a dog’s breakfast We have spent this money and there’s nothing to show for it.”

He has asked WAG if there’s a fall-back position for St Athan if the ABP comes to nothing, but Ieuan Wyn Jones gave no details of other economic regeneration plans for the area and said they would continue to promote the benefits of St Athan to potential investors.

“There is obviously no Plan B,” added Mr Davies. “The ABP was the Welsh Assembly Government’s response to the loss of the DARA jobs, but nothing else has been done if that fails.

“It would appear that we have lost the DARA jobs and there is nothing available to replace them – and nothing in the pipeline. There is no fall-back position either. It’s the worst of all worlds.”

Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones told Mr Davies that the government remained committed to the business park, which was a phased development over the next 20 years, subject to market demand.

He said that the scale and shape of the ABP may need to be reviewed once the Ministry of Defence plans for St Athan are revealed in the spring.

The GEM asked the Welsh Assembly Government for a comment on the position but at the time of going to press, nothing had been received.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aerospace and St Athan dithering

2011-01-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Record of Proceedings Dydd Mawrth, 11 Ionawr 2011 Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Andrew R.T. Davies: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Do you share my concern at the lack of progress on the Welsh Assembly Government’s aerospace park at St Athan? In answer to a question, the Minister for the Economy and Transport confirmed that £44 million in Welsh Assembly Government money has been spent on the aerospace park—not the defence training academy—which was announced as a direct consequence of the closure of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency facility at St Athan. There has been no progress to date on job-creation in that aspect of the Welsh Assembly Government’s economic portfolio. When can the residents of St Athan and Llantwit Major expect to see progress on this important scheme?

The First Minister: I am now even more amazed. In order for the business park to prosper, there needs to be a decision on the rest of the site. The dithering of the UK Government and its failure to make a decision are frustrating our ability to offer long-term certianty to potential tenants. If you are a prospective tenant, you want to know what else is going to go there. Until we have a decision from the UK Government, and we until we have some clarity for the people of St Athan, Llantwit Major and the Vale of Glamorgan, it is going to be very difficult for us to attract tenants to the park. We have made our investment and we now need to see a commitment from the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence to deliver on what they said that they would deliver—a training facility at St Athan. Let us hear it. ..................

Andrew RT Davies AM
You will have heard my question to the First Minister about the aerospace park in St Athan. I am concerned about the issues that are being raised regarding the aerospace park and the link to the defence training academy, and also the various planning inspectors’ reports that relate to the northern access road. There is a whole host of issues surrounding this development, and a statement from the Deputy First Minister as to how the Welsh Assembly Government is progressing its side of the development in St Athan, given that it was an announcement in response to the loss of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency jobs, would be greatly appreciated by the local community in order to understand the way forward.

Jane Hutt: In relation to your important first point, there is a forthcoming statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the review of those who have been infected by contaminated blood. I completely concur with you on your second point—we need an update on the St Athan situation from the UK Government. I understand that a response is due from the UK Government in March. I have had correspondence, which I am happy to share with you, from the UK Government Minister. The Deputy First Minister will also issue a statement on St Athan in relation to Welsh Assembly Government responsibilities. On the third point, the regulations on the kennelling of dogs will be handled in the usual way, as regulations always are.

Drummer boy for Metrix John Smith told to resign

2009-06-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Labour MP told to resign over £57k expenses claim
WalesOnline - United Kingdom
VALE of Glamorgan Labour MP John Smith last night faced a call for his resignation after it was alleged he claimed nearly £58000 in second home expenses ...

Following a rule change in April 2008 that required receipts for expenditure over £25, he submitted London home claims for £231 from Ikea and £140 from homeware store The Range, both from branches in Cardiff.

The Ikea receipt reveals he claimed £11.98 on a Njuta bath robe, £7.99 for a Skanka pan, £90 for Lycksele Murbo mattress, two £7.99 Hultet beaded drapes and £4.99 on a rimless picture frame with clips.

His claim from The Range included £69.99 on a set of table and chairs, £3.49 on an "onion garland" and £15.49 on a print by artist Cory Silken called Rugosa.

Mr Smith also twice attempted to claim the cost of Christmas cards on his office expenses. He first tried to bill the £295 cost of seasonal cards in November 2004 but was rejected by House of Commons officials.

He tried again for £305 the following year and was again rejected.

However, he successfully claimed £352.50 in legal bills for a dispute over his constituency office rent, submitting an invoice from a firm of solicitors in Caerphilly.

John Smith

Job: Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan

Salary: £64,766

Total second home claims

2004-05: £20,620

2005-06: £20,862

2006-07: £22,110

2007-08: £23,083

Total expenses

2007-08: £148,514

Rate of attendance at votes: 48 per cent

Vale MP John Smith defends himself over expenses allegations
Barry and District News - Wales,UK
By Elinor Cross » VALE MP John Smith has defended himself against allegations that he exploited the mps' expenses system, after details of his claims were ...

Vale MP fights for his reputation after expenses allegations

Glamorgan Gem - ‎5 hours ago‎

VALE MP John Smith is under attack after a newspaper story alleging that he had claimed almost £58000 over four years, without submitting receipts. ...

MPs' expenses: John Smith claimed £57,955 without submitting a single receipt

Telegraph...An MP claimed £57,955 in second home expenses in four years without submitting a single receipt.

John Smith, a Labour backbencher, took advantage of generous allowances to claim an average of £14,488 a year – more than the average salary of a minimum wage worker– without providing evidence of any spending.

When he eventually made a claim backed up by a receipt, it was for home furnishings including a vase, a frying pan, a bath robe, beaded drapes and poster art.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5413332/MPs-expenses-John-Smith-claimed-57955-without-submitting-a-single-receipt.html

Enemies of the People2009 New Labour M.P. John SmithPARASITE
2009 New Labour M.P. John SmithPARASITE. An MP claimed £57955 in second home expenses in four years without submitting a single receipt ...

MPs expenses John Smith claimed £57955 without submitting a single ...
MPs expenses John Smith claimed £57955 without submitting a single receipt. An MP claimed £57955 in second home expenses in four years without submitting a ...

MP John Smith defends himself over expenses allegations

7:40am Thursday 4th June 2009

VALE MP John Smith has defended himself against allegations that he exploited the MPs’ expenses system, after details of his claims were published in a national newspaper.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Mr Smith claimed £86,675 in additional costs expenses over four years – nearly £60,000 of them without the submission of receipts.

The Vale MP did submit receipts for poster art, a bath robe and beaded drapes, according to the article, and claimed £57,955 in running costs without receipts for a London flat over four years. The allegations came two weeks after Mr Smith announced he was standing down at the next election for health reasons.

The Telegraph reported that the MP took advantage of an allowance scheme which, until April last year, entitled ministers to claim the following per month without a receipt: £400 for groceries, £250 for utility bills, £250 for telephone bills, £250 for cleaning, £250 for service and maintenance, and £250 for repairs and insurance.

It was alleged that a House of Commons official wrote to Mr Smith in 2007 to ask if he would submit more specific claims rather than nominal sums. He said: “Ideally we would expect members to claim for actual amounts and not nominal sums.”

According to the Telegraph, Mr Smith continued to claim this way for nine more months – however, Mr Smith denies this.

The MP was also criticised for his attendance at parliament, showing up to only 48 per cent of votes and speaking in only 10 debates in 2007/8 despite claiming £148,514 in overall expenses for that year.

A spokesperson for Mr Smith denied any wrongdoing.

He said: “Mr Smith is devastated and repudiates allegations that he has exploited the parliamentary expenses system following an article in the Sunday Telegraph, which has appeared since he announced his retirement on health grounds two weeks ago.

“Historically, Mr Smith has been one of the lowest claimants of parliamentary expenses.

“He does not own a second home, he has never claimed for any luxury goods and all the money he has claimed over the years has gone towards meeting the cost of living and working in London, and not for personal gain.

“Mr Smith is committed to transparency and will publish his expenses in full, as soon as is practicable. “A number of allegations were made in the Sunday Telegraph which he did not have an opportunity to respond to,” added the spokesman.

“Mr Smith was accused of claiming Additional Cost Allowance between 2004 and 2008 without submitting receipts.

“Under the rules at the time, no receipts were required and all Mr Smith’s claims were cleared by the Commons Authority and were within the existing rules.

“Contrary to what was alleged in the newspaper article, in July 2007, when the Commons Authority wrote to Mr Smith informing him that he could no longer continue to claim in this way, he immediately changed his claims to meet the new requirements.”

He continued: “In April 2008 Mr Smith moved to an unfurnished bedsit in Pimlico and purchased some modestly priced items of furniture, including a table and two chairs and a sofa bed, and submitted receipts as required under further rule changes.

“Not all the items on the receipts referred to in the newspaper article were claimed for.

“Contrary to what was said in the Telegraph, it is untrue that Mr Smith submitted a bill for legal costs over a dispute with the landlord over his constituency office – in actual fact this was a standard commercial charge for drawing up a lease.”

In response to calls by Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate for the Vale, Dr Ian Johnson, for Mr Smith to stand down immediately, the spokesman added: “It seems that political opponents in the Vale of Glamorgan are trying to damage Mr Smith’s reputation by linking the timing of his retirement announcement with the expenses furore.

“Nothing could be further from the truth – Mr Smith has been advised by his doctor not to stand for re-election, and he is following that advice.”

Note

Geoff Hoon of privatise the army fame amongst many of his sins

Geoff Hoon resigns as pressure mounts on Gordon Brown - Telegraph

5 Jun 2009 ... Geoff Hoon has become the fifth Cabinet minister to resign in a week as Gordon Brown battles to maintain his authority.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon.../Geoff-Hoon-resigns-as-pressure-mounts-on-Gordon-Brown.html

Shame on OU and Nord Anglia

2009-03-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

Shame on OU accrediting arms dealers courses courses

MoD Apprentices questions HOC

MoD Apprentices

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the package of delivery designed by Metrix for the Defence Training Review project will offer apprenticeships to the (a) standards and (b) accreditation delivered by the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering; and what provision will be made in the package for apprenticeship training to an accredited standard. [262635]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As part of the requirement for the Defence Training Review (DTR) Package 1, Metrix will transform and modernise existing training, which will involve the re-accreditation of any transformed modules. This re-accreditation will be led by Nord Anglia, the Open university and City and Guilds, who are all respected and leading accreditation specialists. For the Defence college of Aeronautical Engineering, and all the technical training under Package 1, any existing accreditation will remain in place until a re-designed package is approved by the Ministry of Defence, which includes any proposals for changes to apprenticeship training.

All Defence training (including accreditation implications) must adhere to a robust and established change process under the Defence systems approach to training to approve any change, and meet stringent defence and Government policy guidelines. The Department is recognised as an example of good practice with respect to apprenticeships and remains committed to maintaining this reputation.

Armed Forces: Training

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Defence Training Review package he expects to be delivered outside the future Defence Academy at RAF St Athan. [262500]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: All of the training in the scope of the Defence Training Review Package 1 will, by 2020, be delivered at St. Athan, with the exception of Royal Naval Communications training at HMS Collingwood which amounts to 2 per cent. of the total training requirement. In addition, about 30 per cent. of phase 3 (professional) training will be delivered away from St. Athan at remote learning centres around the UK to enable personnel to stay near home bases and families.

John Smith Pork Barrelling

2009-03-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.antimetrix.org/

John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source | Video match this

Will my right hon. Friend assure me that any discussions that he has about central funding and the mechanism used do not undervalue the role of defence expenditure in projects such as the defence technical academy in my constituency at St. Athan? Will he join me in welcoming the news that the joint director for technical training in the military is going to move to St. Athan in April, in anticipation of the construction of the new college?

(On the 1st April I presume?)

Paul Murphy (Secretary of State, Wales Office; Torfaen, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source | Video match this

Of course I will, and I congratulate my hon. Friend on his tenacity in dealing with this issue. Billions of pounds of public spending will come to his constituency and the surrounding constituencies, and I know that he has played a very significant role in ensuring that that is the case.

tory leader on st athan pfi

2009-02-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

Tory leader Cameron addresses Barry public

Barry and District News, UK - 21 Feb 2009

When asked about the suitability of American contractors bidding for St Athan, he replied: "We have a close relationship with America. The government has made a complete mess of the contract - they have struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

"But the last thing we need to do is launch a wave of nationalism."

more recent news

Politicians at war over St Athan defence training academy
WalesOnline, United Kingdom - 19 Feb 2009
FEARS over “Olympics-style” spiralling costs at the £13bn Defence Technical Academy have been raised by politicians in a furious row over the St Athan-based ...

Armed forces' £12bn PFI training plan 'jeopardised by economic crisis'
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 8 Feb 2009
A £12 billion plan to contract out armed forces training, in the Government's biggest ever private finance initiative, has been jeopardised by the economic ...

Credit crisis puts £12bn MoD training project in jeopardy
guardian.co.uk, UK - 8 Feb 2009
The government's biggest private finance initiative, a multibillion-pound plan to hive-off training for the armed forces, is in trouble, subject to delays, ...

Misleading DTR coverage

2009-02-17T02:38:00.000-08:00

Last week the BBC published an article about the Defence Training Review (DTR). It was entitled '£12bn military academy 'on track'. The article was quite biased and lacking in research. Chris Ames sums it up very well here. Chris Ames (also runs the Iraq dossier website.)

Back to the article which doesn’t mention that the project is already delayed and over budget nor the fact that Qinetiq, the equal equity partner along with Sodexho, are themselves experiencing difficulties. See the following articles:
The Cost of Privatisation
Qinetiq Prepares to Tighten Finances

I won’t go into whether or not the 5000 jobs figure is accurate, but that number of ‘new’ jobs won’t be created at the base. The jobs are already held by Civil Servants around the country who will be expected to relocate to Wales or lose their jobs.

Many of the trainers will be unable to relocate to Wales and the loss of these skilled trainers will put Defence Training and front line troops at risk.

In addition to the above there is the question of putting the Defence of the United Kingdom in the hands of private companies that are ultimately out to make a profit for their shareholders. A further risk is that the companies involved may get taken over by a non-British organisation which could generate a conflict of interest between corporate aims and loyalties and national security.

You may also be interested in this article entitled ‘The Ministry and the Media'

supporter of Academy

2009-02-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

I remain supportive of the principle of the Academy, especially as the
economic stimulus it would provide is much needed now.
However, as it is not a constituency issue, I am not
aware of the current details.

With regard to public sector investment, I am a keen supporter of public/private sector
partnerships.  There is no debate scheduled but, if any significant events occur in
relation to it, there would bound to be a Ministerial statment.

Jenny Randerson

John Smith MP drummer boy for METRIX

2009-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

Parliamentary clash

Mark Pritchard continues to badger the government on the rising cost of DTR. He submitted a written question:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secr etary of State for Defence on the implications for Wales of the defence training review programme

The reply from the government was:

The St. Athan Defence Training Academy is a very important project for Wales. The substantial investment of Package 1 will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs both during construction and from 2013, when construction is completed.

On the 28^th January the following oral exchange was recorded in Hansard:

Mark Pritchard (Wrekin)

John Smith has claimed many times that hundreds of jobs will come to Wales as a result of the defence training review programme, but the programme has rising costs and increasing delays. Indeed, in his desperation, the hon. Gentleman visited the Prime Minister this week, even though the latter has given no assurance that the defence training review will go ahead in Wales. Do we not need an early statement from th e Secretary of State giving us the truth about the project and its rising costs?

Paul Murphy (Secretary of State, Wales Office)

I have had no indication at all that there will be any change of plan as far as that huge investment in Wales is concerned. The Government are committed to it but I am sure that, when the time com es, there will be a proper statement to this House of Commons.

John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan)

Does my right hon. Friend agree that employment levels in south Wales will be greatly improved by the 5,000 jobs brought to the area by the defence technical academy? Does he also agree that it is about time that Opposition Members stopped knocking the project and began pulling together to ensure that it is brought in on time and within budg et?

Paul Murphy (Secretary of State, Wales Office)

That is what we all like to hear. My hon. Friend has been a great champion of the project. When those jobs come to Wales, it will be as a result of the biggest single Government investment in Wales ever.

Clearly John Smith is still playing his role of drummer boy for METRIX, but his figures are as credible as his knowledge of defence training. John Smith recently talked about the need to get away from “chalk and talk” training- it shows how little he knows about the modern training environment. PCS believes not only do his 5,000 jobs include over a 1,000 military posts- which to the public are hardly countable, but also many of the jobs Smith continually mentions are transitory jobs created during the build phase.

“Government ministers need to come clean and declare this project dead”

2008-12-17T04:03:00.000-08:00

HOC 11 December 2008 : Parliamentary Debate
Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con): On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The defence training review is the largest private finance initiative in British history, worth £11 billion-indeed, the costs have increased in the last six months to £12 billion. I seek your advice, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because in today’s Financial Times it was announced that Land Securities Trillium, one of the major backers of the defence training review package, has pulled out of the project altogether. This has major implications for the future training of our armed forces not only in the short term, but in the medium to long term.
Is it not a disgrace that, yet again, the Government hav e chosen to leak this information to the Financial Times rather than bring it to the Floor of the House?

Mr. Deputy Speaker: I can only repeat that Mr. Speaker considers it extremely important that all important matters on which this House should have a view should be brought before the House, but I am sure the hon. Gentleman will find ways to pursue these matters himself, and the points he has made are on the record.

Shropshire Star Article
Great quote from Mark Pritchard MP
“Government ministers need to come clean and declare this project dead”

News reaches manchester too!  Eco home plan bust too!

Just 1700 homes for Deepcut site ?
Get Surrey - Manchester,England,UK
Deepcut was one of the casualties of the MoD’s Defence Training Review, which aims to
close and relocate several Armed Forces bases in the South East.
……Mark Pritchard has demanded a statement from the Ministry of Defence regarding the decision by Land Securities Trillium to withdraw from the Metrix consortium, the lead bidder for the Defence Training Review (DTR). A spokesman on behalf of Trillium stated that the company had invested a considerable amount of money on the project, but due to the significantly increased bid costs which were carried at risk by the bidders they would
now have to withdraw.

New Labour attack Jill Evans

2008-12-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

A Welsh unknown New Labour European candidate has attacked Plaid MEP Jill Evans over her opposition to the proposed Defence Training Academy at St Athan.saying Welsh workers should be incensed by her continuing refusal to support these cleaning jobs especially at a time when the global economic crisis means people are facing redundancy.

These minimum wage jobs are vital to the economy of Wales. At a time of serious economic challenges caused by news deregualtion of the markets and the encouragement of unlimited greed ..Plaid is on the side of ordinary working people.

Miss Wagstaff noted

If I were an eager observer of Welsh politics and concerned Labour supporter who cared about my party, what sort of questions would I be asking at this time?

Did Labour receive any motion requests for the Llandudno conference in March that called for the Euro selection process to be halted because of concerns over a stitch-up?
Was an official European office used for canvassing by candidates, against strict ethics rules? i.e. if a member of her staff called constituency secretaries to check they'd received correspondence and then asked if they would consider supporting them in the selection process it would contravene rules and standards in the European Parliament and the Labour Party.
Why were calls for party hustings during the selection process repeatedly refused by Transport House?
Does Eluned have any ambitions of being an Assembly Member, now or in the future?

Adam Price for a military academy?

2008-11-19T09:56:00.001-08:00

Adam Price MP has a regular column in the weekly news magazine Golwg. That of 13 November was titled Y ddadl o blaid academi filwrol – ‘The debate in favour of a military academy’.

Much of it discusses the history of militarism in Wales, a comparison with the Scots, and the number of Welsh people in the armed forces historically and today. The part about St Athan actually only comes in the final few sentences as follows, with a translation of it below

Yn yr un modd, tra bod protestio yn erbyn polisiau a rhyfeloedd a dulliau ac arfau milwrol yn ddilys, ydi gwrthwynebu academi hyfforddiant (Academi Filwrol Sain Tathan ym Mro Morgannwg) fel y cyfryw yn gwneud synnwyr? Onid natur yr hyfforddiant ddylai fod ffocws ein gwrthwynebiad ni?

Wedi’r cwbl pan ffurfiwyd West Point gan yr Americanwr o Gymro, Thomas Jefferson, academi heddwch oedd ei weledigaeth e. Oni allwn ni ganolbwyntio ar greu, mewn cysylltiad a’r datblygiad hwn, pwyslais newydd a chanolfan rhyngwladol o ragoriaeth mewn ymdrechion i gadw heddwch.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In the same way, while it is correct to protest against military policies and means, against wars and arms, does it make sense to oppose a training academy as such (St Athan Military Training Academy in the Vale of Glamorgan)? Should it not be the nature of the training being provided that forms the focus for our opposition?

After all, when West Point was established by that Welsh American, Thomas Jefferson, his vision was of a peace academy. Can’t we concentrate, in relation to this development, on creating a new emphasis on an international centre of excellence in peace keeping activities.

Costs soaring into stratosphere

2008-11-04T02:17:00.000-08:00

3 Nov 2008 : Column 15

Defence Training Review Programme

10. Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con): How much his Department has spent on the defence training review programme to date; and if he will make a statement. [232056]

The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. Bob Ainsworth): Expenditure to date on the defence training review programme is £34.6 million. That includes the expenditure costs of both package 1 and package 2 of the training review programme.

Mark Pritchard: The Minister will know that the defence training review is the largest private finance initiative in British history. It was originally estimated that the cost would be £11 billion, but in the last six months it has risen to £12 billion. Will the Minister confirm whether this programme will go ahead and whether Treasury Ministers have been consulted about the escalating costs?

Mr. Ainsworth: The hon. Gentleman is right that the financial situation has led to cost growth in the programme, but we have worked with Metrix to see how to minimise the costs. I know that this will disappoint the hon. Gentleman greatly because of his constituency interest, but I have to say that the programme is still affordable and remains more affordable than the in-house alternative, so our plans are to go ahead with the programme on the basis of package 1.

David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op): May I return to the Metrix training contract, in the light of the unsatisfactory answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies)—our new hon. Friend—and, indeed, the answer given to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard)? The contract costs are more than £1 million a day and are soaring into the stratosphere. Will the Minister say whether or not the following quote was well sourced? The defence training review executive board investigated “major affordability issues” that could not be disclosed to the project board as they were “too sensitive”. What is going wrong with the contract?

The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. Bob Ainsworth): The costs to which my hon. Friend refers cover the provision of the defence training package over a 30-year programme, so he should not be surprised if some of the figures are high. I am sorry that he found what I said to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard) unsatisfactory, but we have re-examined affordability and remain convinced that the package is the best option going forward and that it is better than the in-house alternative in providing the quality of training that we need at a reasonable price—a good price for the taxpayer.

David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op): Will my hon. Friend the Minister comment on the training implications of the future strike capability of the RAF? In particular, does he think that the Metrix consortium’s contracts to train military personnel over the next 30 years, which have increased in cost by £1 billion, are adequate for the purpose? There seems to be a cabal of private companies locking the taxpayer and the military into a private finance initiative scheme that is costing much more money over the years for a far inferior service to the RAF and other forces.

Mr. Davies: I can assure my hon. Friend that the RAF is clear that the arrangements that we are making for training are indeed adequate for the purpose, to use his phrase.

WAG ministerial steering group on DTA ST ATHAN

2008-10-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ministerial Steering Group on the Defence Training Academy project at St Athan

Draft Terms of Reference

1. The membership of the group is:

Minister for Enterprise, Innovation & Networks (Chair)
Minister for Education and Life-long Learning.
Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services
(Other Ministers with an interest in any of the agenda items for a meeting of the Steering Group will be invited to attend as appropriate.)
2. The Group’s terms of reference are to:
• lead, monitor and oversee the Assembly Government’s commitments to the MoD and Metrix Consortium to ensure the successful delivery of the Defence Training Academy (DTA) proposals at St Athan in accordance with Metrix’s project timetable;
• coordinate a collective effort across all levels of Government through identifying and ensuring coherence on all policy priority and operational issues that contribute to the realisation of the DTA project;
• facilitate the effective engagement of private and public sector partners on the realisation of the DTA vision for St Athan;
• ensure that the resource allocation process, both financial and staff, reflects the need for cross-portfolio budgeting to meet agreed priorities as set out in the Project Implementation Plan, when known, and that these priorities are tracked against delivery;
3. The Group shall keep its role under review, and shall evaluate its work and the need for its continued existence two years.
4. The Group will meet quarterly, in private unless it resolves otherwise. It will report to the full Cabinet from time to time. It may involve individuals and organisations from outside the Assembly to contribute to its work as appropriate.
5. The Secretariat for the Group will be provided by the Integrated Delivery Team in DEIN. The work of the Group will be supported by the well established St Athan Steering Group of senior officials. This will be expanded to include senior officials from DELLS and Local Government & Finance.
[DOC]

Welsh Assembly Government | Disclosure log 1678
Q: How much WAG/DEIN staff time and at what cost has been dedicated to promoting the development of the St Athan site as a major centre of excellence in the ...

R Morgan
The Ministerial Steering Group I have established and chaired by the Deputy First Minister will ensure a joined up Team Wales approach to delivery of this project. It will meet in November to review progress.

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Information Further to Ministerial Answers
Information further to OAQ(3)0092(FM) issued by Brian Gibbons, the Minister for
Social Justice and Local Government, in July 2007
To Andrew R.T. Davies:

....improvements required as a direct result of the proposed developments at St Athan which the
Assembly Government is considering taking forward, namely:
• New Northern access to the St Athan site from the B4265, including consequential
improvements to access around the site;
• Improvements to B4265 at Gilestone Old Mill;
• Improvements to B4265 at the crossroads into St Athan village;
• Waycock Cross junction improvements.

Vale of Glamorgan - SEWEF Construction Skills SEWEF are also in touch with WAG (DEIN) officials regarding the potential afforded by the proposal for a Defence Training College at St. Athan. ...

[PDF] PLANNING GUIDANCE (WALES)File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
INNOVATION AND NETWORKS (DEIN) OF THE WELSH. ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT. 01. ST ..... 4.5.2 The potential of additional jobs being created at RAF St Athan and ...

[PDF]CARDIFF COUNCIL CYNGOR CAERDYDD EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING: 17 ...File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Council through its working relationship with DEIN, as no details were directly ..... St Athan and planned direct access to the M4 its success can only now ...
[PDF] Preferred Strategy: Regulation 15 Statement of Consultation
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
included in the DEIN Property Strategy and therefore direct .... within the plan area (e.g. St Athan, M4 Junction 33. Culverhouse Cross); ...
[PDF] Bridgend Regeneration Strategy
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Department of Enterprise, Innovation & Networks (DEIN), commissioned SQW Consulting .... to also look outwards e.g. around the impact of St.Athan ...

MOD on St Athan

2008-10-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/31D096E9-3F41-4633-BEA2-AE62CF97C3AE/0/annrptvol1_200708.pdf

234 We continued to make progress on Package 1 of the Defence Training Review (see
paragraph 297 under People) to deliver training for all three Services at a new site
at St Athan in South Wales. The Metrix consortium has been taking forward risk
reduction work to secure planning consent and develop an affordable training solution.
We aim to begin construction at St Athan in 2010, with training beginning in 2014. After
reviewing further options for Package 2 it became apparent that the Metrix consortium
was not able to offer an affordable and acceptable solution and the competition
was therefore ended in January 2008. We are now considering a range of options
to rationalise the estate in an affordable way while maintaining our supervisory
care commitments. We also announced in January 2008 that we plan to relocate the
Defence College of Logistics and Personnel Administration and the Director Royal
Logistics Corps from Deepcut in Surrey and consolidate elements of logistics training at
Worthy Down in Wiltshire and Southwick Park in Hampshire. This will enable the eventual
disposal of the Deepcut site;

get planning permission and highway improvements for redevelopment of RAF St Athan

2008-10-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=MOD+DTR+audit+commission&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK|countryGB

From: Cotton, Peter (DEIN)
Sent: 22 September 2006 15:00
To: Alan.Davies@capita.co.uk
Cc: Perren, Jeff (DE & T)
Subject: FW: ST Athan Highway Works - Invitation to Tender

Attachments: Contact Data - St Athan Highways.doc

You are invited to tender an offer for a commission by WAG to undertake the services described below. The commission is the development of an existing commission which has progressed to the financial limits of its current contractual arrangements (£50k) so a tender is being sought from consultants contracted by the framework agreement inherited from the former WDA. You are not obliged to tender and a decision by you not to do so will certainly not prejudice your position for further WAG commissions. Please note that if you do decide to tender it must be delivered to the address described below in the envelopes described below before noon on 11th October 2006 . I shall be unavailable for assistance before that date, so the envelopes will be provided by Mr Jeff Perren, tel 01443 845800, email jeff.perren@wales.gsi.gov.uk. Please contact him to inform him of the address to which you require the envelopes to be sent. and to make any other enquiries you may have about the details of the commission.

The conditions of contract for the commission will be as described in the core clauses and the clauses of Options A, X2, X9, X11.1, Y(UK)1 and Y(UK)2 of the second edition, June 1998, of ‘The Professional Services Contract’ published for the Institution of Civil Engineers.

BACKGROUND

The Assembly owns most of the several hundred acres of the former RAF St Athan Airfield, which remains operationally active. The present occupancy of the Assembly's site by the Ministry of Defence (primarily the RAF and DARA [Defence Aviation Repair Agency]) is progressively reducing , but a few other occupancies are continuing. The Army is the most significant neighbouring occupier of the remainder of the former airfield.

Redevelopment of much of the Assembly's site is the basis of a bid by a consortium, Metrix, for two very substantial contracts that are scheduled to be awarded by the MoD for very extensive and comprehensive training of military personnel. The award of the MoD's contracts form a key stage in the MoD's revue of the UK's defence related training (DTR).

The Assembly intends to develop the remainder of the airfield as an Aerospace Park i.e. a business park for aviation-related employment.

To-date, regular and frequent meetings have been held with the local highway and planning authorities representatives and an assessment of anticipated traffic movements has informed a development brief for the proposals which has been adopted by the local planning authority. The development brief shows that the prime access to the DRY development and /or the Aerospace Park will be achieved by the construction of a road linking the site to the eastern-end of the Llantwit Major Bypass, north of Boverton, but also linking to Cowbridge Road north of St Athan. The latter link is necessary to replace a highway-link/bus route which currently passes through the north of the airfield. Further off-site highway-improvements are required to mitigate the effects of the development, viz. the improvement of highway geometry of the B4265 at the St Athan war-memorial and at Gileston Old Mill, approximately 1 km east of St Athan, plus capacity improvements at the A4226 Waycock Cross Roundabout. An environmental assessment of the preferred route of the prime access was undertaken by White Young Green, together with the relevant environmental surveys required to prepare an Environmental Station which gives due consideration to the sensitive issues along the route. The EA continues to be refined as the design of the route is also being refined, in particular at its eastern extremity where options continue to be assessed. A full topographical aerial-survey was completed and a ground model developed, enabling the highway alignment to be accurately designed. A preliminary ground investigation was also carried out along the preferred route, enabling the engineering properties of the ground to be determined.

The design development of the route has included discussions with many interested parties to address their concerns with appropriate consideration of the scheme’s objectives:

The current approved design drawings, calculations and other relevant criteria are available electronically from Alan Davies of Capita [email Alan.Davies@capita.co.uk]. All tenderers must make themselves familiar with the these documents and, if awarded the commission, must accept them as the basis of their further refinement and development of the proposals.

The development brief is available on the local planning authority's website http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Our%20Environment/Planning/Policy/Development_Briefs.aspx

SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT FOR THE COMMISSION

AIMS OF THE COMMISSION

To provide sufficient information to achieve planning permission and contractual contracts for the construction and adoption of the prime access and related highway improvements for the redevelopment of RAF St Athan in accord with the development brief adopted by the local planning authority.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMISSION

(i) WAG wishes to complete an integrated team to develop and finalise the design of the scheme’s components in sufficient detail to draft the necessary compulsory-purchase order(s) and achieve a planning application by early January 2007.

(ii) The granting of a suitable and acceptable planning permission for the northern access road to/from the Llantwit Major ByPass from/to Cowbridge Road north of St Athan.

(iii) The granting of a suitable and acceptable planning permission for improvements to the B4265 at the St Athan war-memorial and at Gileston Old Mill plus the A4266 Waycock Cross Roundabout.

(iv) The creation of tender documents, including a sufficiently detailed design, for a design & build contract to provide the works to a standard that is acceptable and adoptable by the local highway authority. Details of the model form of the required terms & conditions of the design & build contract are available from Mr Jeff Perren, whose contact details are described above.

TASKS

Clearly the tasks that are necessary to achieve such broad objectives are many and varied. Each tenderer is required to provide and price his Activity Schedule and included it in Envelope B. The Activity Schedule must include the following subjects, subdivided & priced as the tenderer deems appropriate.

Perform a Stage 1 Safety audit of the designs produced to-date by Capita. Copies of the designs (including traffic & drainage capacities calculations) are attached.

Complete the designs in sufficient detail and/to produce a planning submission acceptable to the local highway authority, local planning authority and all other relevant authorities, including the Environment Agency.

Any land required is likely to be acquired through a Compulsory Purchase Order. The statutory procedures to be followed shall be concurrent, in which case the Side Roads Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders shall be prepared as nearly concurrently as possible. The Orders shall be published in draft and subsequently processed simultaneously. The Consultant may be requested to assist the Employer with this work.

Complete the designs in sufficient detail for the letting of a competition, by lump-sum tender, for the detailed design & construction of the highway works, including necessary ancillary works (e.g. drainage), of the prime access, described above, and the further off-site highway-improvements that are required to mitigate the effects of the development , viz. the improvement of highway geometry of the B4265 at the St Athan war-memorial and at Gileston Old Mill, plus capacity improvements at the A4226 Waycock Cross Roundabout.

Following the acceptance of the commission the Consultant shall be required to attend weekly progress meetings with the client, WAG at Cardiff, Treforest or St Athan. The minimum attendance at these meetings shall be key staff appropriate to the stage of the design. The first meeting shall be held within five working days following WAG's issue of the award of the commission. There will be a standard agenda for the meetings prepared by the Employer. The Consultant shall also be required to attend additional meetings as required by/with WAG to discuss any matter relating to the project. The Consultant shall take the minutes of these meetings and distribute them promptly after the meeting.

The Consultant shall assist the Employer with various Public Relations initiatives.

Unless agreed otherwise all contact with the media will be via the Employer.

INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BE PROVIDED IN THE TENDER

i) Your tender must describe your understanding of the commission and your abilities, with recent relevant experience in the production of such works as described in the brief below. Ideally you will be able to provide the locations in the UK of constructed examples of similar works that you have designed.

ii) You must identify the resources and skills you would make available to perform the commission, with a breakdown of the time allocated for tasks and who would be involved. The breakdown must include your estimate of your staff’s attendance at a reasonable number of meetings with the Agency, the local authority and other relevant bodies. You must identify and provide CVs for each of the persons who would be involved. You must describe their professional experience and location(s) from where their services would be provided.

iii) You must provide a list of relevant, recently completed contracts.

iv) You must supply confirmation that you hold appropriate indemnity cover and public liability cover, both of at least as defined in the attached ‘Contract Data’.

v) You must confirm your quality procedures, health & safety and environmental policies.

vi) You must provide an activity schedule and programme of those activities, dividing the commission into stages including, as separate stages, all of the tasks described above.

vii) You must confirm that all necessary services to achieve the aims & objectives of the commission, as described above, are included in your activity schedule. Clarify what additional services, if any, you expect others, outside the commission, to provide to achieve all authorisations and permissions for the construction and adoption of the works.

viii) You must provide lump sum prices for each of the activities. The lump sums must be inclusive of all expenses & disbursements and be valid for the next six months plus the programmed period of the commission.

ix) You must provide the calculation of the total of the lump sum prices.

x) You must provide staff rates you would charge for changes to the Scope of the contract, to assist in the calculation of the value of compensation events. The rates must be valid for the next six months plus the programmed period of the commission.

TENDER PROCEDURE

Place the total of your lump sum prices into ‘Envelope A’ and the remaining information, containing no more than ten pages of text, into ‘Envelope B’. Seal both envelopes and place them into ‘Envelope C’. Seal ‘Envelope C’ and return it to the Agency’s Secretary, at the Welsh Development Agency address on it, by 12 noon on Wednesday, 18^th December 2002.

N.B. No marks, including mail franking or other delivery system marks, which could identify the sender must be visible on that envelope (C) or anything that contains it.

TENDER ASSESSMENT

1. Tenders will be assessed on the basis of both quality and price. The contract will be awarded to the tenderer submitting the most economically advantageous offer assessed on the basis of quality, and price proposals for the entire scheme. The first assessment will be for quality.

2. All tenders that comply with the quality requirements will be financially assessed. An appraisal of the rates and percentages submitted will be undertaken. Any anomalies in the submitted rates or percentages will be drawn to the attention of the financial panel, which may ask the tenderers to explain any such anomalies.

3. The final assessment of the tenders will be based on an aggregated score for quality and price requirements as detailed below. The ratio of quality to price will be 80:20.

4. WAG reserves the right not to award the contract to the tenderer with the highest score if the panel concludes this will put the WAG at undue financial, operational or legal risk.

Table 1 Tender Score Criteria

Criteria		Marks
A	Very high standard with detailed understanding of the project aims and no reservations about acceptability	10
B	High standard but falls just short of A	9-8
C	Good standard and requirements met, but with some reservations	7-5
D	Acceptable with significant reservations but not sufficient to warrant rejection	4-1
E	Fails to meet requirements	0

Peter Cotton

Senior Engineering Manager

Department for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks/Yr Adran Menter, Arloesi a Rhwydweithiau

Welsh Assembly Goverment/Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru

QED Centre/Canolfan QED Treforest Industrial Estate/Ystad Ddiwydiannol Trefforest Pontypridd CF37 5YR 01443 845863 mob 07799 862542 fax 01443 845565 email peter.cotton@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Welsh Assembly Government | Disclosure log 1678

Q: How much WAG/DEIN staff time and at what cost has been dedicated to promoting the development of the St Athan site as a major centre of excellence in the ...

Business of war

2008-10-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2003/mar/02/iraq.themilitary1

The Observer,Sunday March 2 2003

March 2003 Secret MoD files to be handed over to private sector. TNT, the distribution company, and US property firm Prologis Developments will win 25-year contract in an announcement expected this week. They will close the MoD file storage centre in Hayes, west London, move staff to the North of England and computerise the records. The Hayes centre also handles files for the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police and magistrates' courts. This is one of the most controversial privatisations so far. Unions say the state should safeguard its own secrets.

February 2003 Serco, the services firm, plans to move almost 600 former MoD staff working for a specially created subsidiary to a tax haven to avoid paying national insurance. Serco won the War Support Agency contract in 1996.

January 2003 The Government sells 35 per cent stake in Qinetiq, the British defence research laboratories, to Carlyle, a US private equity firm which is to manage the former state-run firm. The deal values it at £500m, but the Government gets just £42m in cash.

November 2002 Banks in a PFI project make £25m windfall from £750m revamp of MoD's London HQ by refinancing £500m loan at a cheaper rate.

September 2002 Defence chiefs consider £13bn plan to provide 20 Airbus A330s. It could mean RAF pilots flying tourists to holiday destinations.

September 2002 Jobs of 1,500 naval support staff privatised. Staff at Faslane base on the Clyde now work for Babcock Naval Services. Similar deals now expected at Portsmouth and Devonport.

1998 Colchester garrison PFI scheme launched to rehouse 3,500 soldiers. Four years later not one brick has been laid and millions have vanished in fees.

March 1997 Venture capitalist Cinven pays £74m for Defence Support Services Division, which runs the MoD police and guards 70 sensitive sites, including the germ and chemical warfare research centre at Porton Down, Wiltshire.

November 1996 Annington Homes, a financial consortium led by Japanese bank Nomura, takes over nearly 60,000 MoD homes for £l.5bn. Nomura later reaped £600m profit.

April 1987 Royal Ordnance's 15 factories sold to British Aerospace for £150m, killing thousands of jobs and leading to the SA-80 rifle fiasco

Ministers, Civil servants PFI gravy train

2008-09-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Ministers and Civil servants on the PFI gravy train online only

Alan Milburn, Health Secretary from 1998 to 2003

Alan Milburn is listed in his declaration of members’ interests at the House of Commons as a director of Covidien, which describes itself as “a $10bn global healthcare products leader”. He is also a member of Lloydspharmacy’s Healthcare Advisory Panel. Milburn is an advisor to the European advisory panel of leading private equity firm Bridgepoint, which specialises in healthcare investments. Milburn declares his income from these senior appointments as over £30,000 a year from Bridgepoint; over £25,000 from Lloydspharmacy; nothing listed for Covidien; and a further over £20,000 as an advisor to Pepsico.

Charles Clarke Education Secretary from 2002 to 2004 Home Secretary from 2004 to 2006

Charles Clarke a non-executive director of the LJ Group, which supplies teaching materials and equipment to schools and training services, including through the Government Building Schools for the Future programme, which Clarke initiated as education and skills secretary in February 2004. Clarke is a consultant to KPMG on public sector reform, for whom he wrote a booklet promoting the use of co-payments – service user contributions – to the NHS and other public services.

He also advises Charles Street Securities investment bankers/private equity fund managers. In addition, Clarke is a consultant to Beachcroft LLP, a legal firm that specialises in advising PFI/PPP deals.

29.08.08 Beachcroft achieves £690m financial close on new MoD facilities
Beachcroft has advised Inteq - a John Laing and Interserve consortium chosen by the MoD to provide a new office and accommodation complex at Corsham in Wiltshire - on the financial close of a £690 million PFI project.

Patricia Hewitt Health Secretary from 2005 to 2007

Patricia Hewitt is now senior adviser to Cinven, a private equity-backed private hospitals and healthcare group (payment, over £55,000 pa). She is also special consultant (payment over £45,000 pa) to AllianceBoots, which is owned by private equity firm KKR. In addition, Hewitt is a director of BT Group, which is providingbusiness outsourcing, IT and telecoms services to a range of public bodies. Hewitt established the telecoms and media regulator Ofcom in an earlier job as secretary of state for trade and industry and was in charge of the National Programme for IT – in which BT won one of the largest contracts – while secretary of state for health. According to BT’s submission of details to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Hewitt will be paid an initial £60,000, but with an expected increase as she takes on more responsibilities, in return for working at least 22 days a year.

David Blunkett Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004 Education Secretary from 1997 to 2001 and Work and Pensions secretary in 2005

David Blunkett is now an advisor on business development to A4e Ltd, for which he is entitled to be paid at least £25,000 a year, but which (according tohis Parliamentary declaration of interests) he has not yet been paid. A4e describes itself as a “market leader in global public service reform”.

Lord Warner Health Minister from 2003 to 2007

Lord Warner had specific responsibility for reform of the NHS – overseeing the introduction of more private sector involvement. Since he stepped down from that role he has taken on a directorship with UK HealthGateway and is chairman of the Government Sector Advisory Panel for Xansa plc – a leading provider of business outsource services to public bodies and holder of the £1bn NHS’s shared business service centre contract, providing accounting and finance services to the NHS. Lord Warner is also an advisor to Byotrol (a provider of micro biological health treatments), Apax Partners Worldwide (a private equity firm, with strong connections to the Government and which has invested heavily in health providers seeking contracts with the NHS), Deloitte (an accountancy and consultancy firm, with large incomes from government agencies) and DLA Piper (a legal firm, which, like Deloitte, specialises in advising on private contracting to the public sector). Lord Warner remains influential within the NHS as chair of the NHS London Provider Agency.

Hilary Armstrong secretary of state for local government from 1997 to 2001 for the Cabinet Office from 2006 to 2007

Hilary Armstrong has recently taken a position as chair of wastecompany SITA’s advisory committee.

Nick Raynsford a Local Government and Housing minister from 1997 to 2005

Nick Raynsford is now non-executive chairman of local authority recruitment agency Rockpools PLC and of Hometrack, a lettings service.

Ian McCartney Trade Minister from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2006 to 2007

Ian McCartney is a senior adviser to the US Fluor Corporation, an energy contractor that is believed to have ambitions to win nuclear clean-up contracts in the UK. McCartney is paid at least £110,000 a year for his advice. The former Department of Trade and Industry had responsibility for energy policy.

Washington fields mercenary army in Iraq

It also revealed a large body of mercenaries operating throughout Iraq. ... Fluor, won a $1.1 billion (£617 million) deal last month to help restore Iraq’s ...
www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/merc-m05.shtml

Stephen Byers Trade and industry secretary from 1998 to 2001

Stephen Byers is now non-executive chairman of water treatment company ACWA and Ritz Climate Offset Company.

Richard Caborn Trade minister from 1999 to 2001

Richard Caborn is now a consultant to AMEC assisting them with their work in the nuclear industry. His payment for this is at least £70,000 a year. He is also a former sports minister and now a consultant to the Fitness Industry Association, for which he is paid at least £10,000 a year.

Brian Wilson Energy minister from 2001 to 2003

Brian Wilson is now a non-executive director of AMEC Nuclear and is UK chairman of the renewables company, Airtricity.

Stephen Ladyman transport minister from 2005 to 2007

Stephen Ladyman is now an adviser to It is Holdings, a company selling traffic information, for which he is paid at least £10,000 a year.

Frank Field welfare reform minister from 1997 to 1998

Frank Field is now a director of Medicash, which operates a healthcare cash plan.

Sir Michael Barber former head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit

Michael Barber oversaw publicsector reforms in health, education, transport, policing, the criminal justice system and asylum/immigration. He is now the expert partner in consulting firm McKinsey’s Global Public Sector Practice.

Baroness Sally Morgan

Sally Morgan was a close aide to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister and she was director of government relations in Downing Street and subsequently was made a minister and a member of the House of Lords. She is now a director of the largest care home operator in the UK, Southern Cross, which has expanded substantially as a result of government reforms to the structure and funding of social care. She is a member of the advisory panel of Lloyds Pharmacy, which is expected to bid for contracts under the Department of Health's £1.25bn

Alternative Provider Medical Services programme. Morgan is also a director of Carphone Warehouse.

Sir Gerry Loughran

Sir Gerry Loughran was head of the Northern Ireland civil service from 2000 to 2002. After retiring he took on a number of private sector directorships. These included Phoenix Natural Gas, which is owned by the Terra Firma private equity firm, and he soon became

chairman upon joining the board. While a senior civil servant, Loughran chaired the Strategy 2010 project,57 to sell and leaseback the civil service property portfolio. After leaving the civil service, Loughran became a director and chairman of Partenaire, where he led the company’s (unsuccessful) bid to win the £2bn Workplace 2010 contract that resulted from Strategy 2010.

Lord Wilson of Dinton

Lord Wilson of Dinton was, as Sir Richard Wilson, head of the Home Civil Service and secretary to the Cabinet – as such he had the overall responsibility for seeing that the Prime Minister’s policies on public sector reform were carried out. He was afterwards appointed a director of Xansa (now part of the Steria group), one of the main providers of business process outsourcing services to the public sector.

Lord Turnbull

Lord Wilson’s successor as head of the Home Civil Service was Sir Andrew Turnbull, now Lord Turnbull. Lord Turnbull’s current directorships include British Land (active in the PFI/PPP market), Prudential (also active in the market) and Frontier Economics (which advises private sector clients on public sector reform). Turnbull is also chairman of Brevan Howard Global, an investment management company.

Sir Peter Gershon

Sir Peter Gershon was brought in by The Treasury in 1998 to reduce government expenditure and improve efficiency – he conducted a series of reviews in the period to 2004. He became a civil servant in 2000 as founding chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce. Sir Peter is now executive chairman of Vertex, one of the largest suppliers of business outsourcing services to the UK public sector. He is also non-executive chairman of the General Healthcare Group, the largest private healthcare group in the UK – owned by the private equity group Apax Partners and the South African healthcare company Netcare, which has ISTC and other supply contracts with the NHS. In August 2008 Sir Peter completed a review of ICT procurement policy for the Australian government.58

Chris Woodhead

Following his period as chief inspector of schools, Chris Woodhead set-up the Cognita group of independent schools, using funds supplied by a private equity firm, Englefield Capital.

Sir Steve Robson

Sir Steve Robson was one of the most controversial senior civil servants of recent years, who oversaw the privatisation of British Rail on behalf of Sir John Major. Robson went on to become second permanent secretary at HM Treasury until he retired in 2001. During his earlier career, he was seconded to 3i while remaining a civil servant. He oversaw the Government’s policy on PPPs while serving the current Government at the Treasury. Since retiring, Sir Steve has been a director at Partnerships UK, JP Morgan Cazenove (a global

bank), Xstrata (a mining group) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (one of the leading investors in PPPs) and is a member of the Chairman’s Advisory Committee at the accountancy and consultancy firm KPMG (a leading adviser to PPP and PFI schemes).

Simon Stevens

Simon Stevens was Tony Blair’s health advisor within 10 Downing Street and, with Alan Milburn, was the key architect of the NHS reform programme. He is now chairman of UnitedHealth UK, which has won contracts with the NHS to manage and advise primary

care trusts. The company’s executive director, previously chief executive, was, until late 2007, Dr Richard Smith, a former editor of the British Medical Journal. He is now working for UnitedHealth in the US.

Tom Granatir

Another US-based healthcare group with serious aspirations in the UK is Humana Europe. Its director of policy and research in the UK is Tom Granatir, who was seconded for six months to the NHS in its Health Inequalities Unit and was then seconded on a separate assignment with the influential health think-tank, the King’s Fund.

Darren Murphy

Darren Murphy was a special advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair from May 1997 to September 2005. After a period as head of government relations and external affairs for AstraZeneca UK Murphy became managing director at the London office of lobbying firm APCO whose clients include most of the private healthcare firms bidding to run Independent Sector Treatment Centres.

Adam Ingrams

Former long serving armed forces minister Adam Ingrams appointment as £50,000 a year consultant EDS, is just reward for 6 years at the MoD helping booster the firms buisiness.

ED's notable successes in recent years include a £250m contract to take the forces payroll (with predictably disasterous results so far) membershiop of the Metrix consortium negotiating a £12bn (and rising) PFI deal to privatise military training and a 4bn contract won in 2004 to overhaul all military and civilian defence IT......

leadership challenge over St Athan policy

2008-06-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

The battle for the presidency of Plaid Cymru kicks off with the party’s three MPs leading the charge to dislodge Dafydd Iwan from the post. Dr Iwan, a keen advocate of Welsh Independence, will face a challenge from Plaid’s leader at Westminster, Elfyn Llwyd.

I am puzzled by the support of SCOTTISH First Minister Alex Salmond for Elfyn Llwyd’s. Mr Llwyd said the party “needed to be singing from the same hymn sheet”, suggesting there were differences between MPs and the presidency over the St Athan military base in the Vale of Glamorgan – supported by Plaid MPs but opposed by the party’s presidency.

Does Alex Salmond support the government policy made in Westminster to privatise military training? Would he support a policy which would hinder the future Independence of Scotland, I don't think so. I would be surprised that anyone who wants more independence for their country would submit willingly to a policy of intense militarisation and happily welcome the prospect of a regime like Burma for instance, on paying the right fees, get its soldiers trained here.
Would Alex Salmond agree with the MoD that the training of private contractors and foreign armies is actually about making a stable world for our children’s children?
Private Eye (no 1213) reports a confidential “post meeting readout” of deliberations, on the St Athan project, led by deputy chief of defence staff (personnel) Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson exposes “major AFFORDABILITY issues” requiring a “realistic contingency plan”

Hinting at serious difficulties on the deal, the “affordability gap” could not be disclosed even to the project board as it was too “sensitive”. More alarming still was a list of 15 significant risks with the project, training that fails to meet requirement of operational commands and is not of a sufficiently high standard.

Existing defence trainers appear unwilling to move to a new defence academy at St Athan, south Wales, from their existing bases (72% have said they won’t)

Certain risks are deemed “intolerable”. The scheme depends on missing millions from the sale of sites at Arborfield and Bordon where if planning permission for housing isn’t obtained soon, sites will be much less valuable, “impacting on the affordability of the project as a whole”.

New government accounting rules are due to bring PFI investments on balance sheet leaving the deal losing its off balance sheet PFI magic. The consequence of this would be to make the project unaffordable.

I wrote to Elfyn Llwyd and in Feb this year he replied rather unsatisfactorily; "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." http://stathanmilitaryacademypoliticians.blogspot.com/search?q=+Elfyn+Llwyd%2C+

He hasn’t raised this matter in parliament. He hasn’t raised any of the issues above despite him claim that he is anti privatisation at least.

Inexperienced politicans & Rhodri Morgan

2008-03-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

Inexperienced politicians and the messes they make By Matthew Sinclair She counts among her "achievements" Railtrack's renationalisation, the selling of Qinetiq for a fraction of its true value, and the disastrous creation of Metronet. This one-woman disaster zone has cost the taxpayer several hundred ...The TaxPayers' Alliance - Better... - http://tpa.typepad.com/bettergovernment/

Best quote ever from House of Commons questioning of civil servants involved in Quinetiq sale. MP Richard Bacon: "MR WOOLEY ARE YOU A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT ?
"Woolley: "I AM NOT"
Bacon: "ARE YOU A QUALIFIED FINANCIAL PERSON OF ANY KIND ? DO YOU HAVE ANY FINANCIAL QUALIFICATIONS ?"
Woolley: "I DO NOT HAVE ANY FINANCIAL QUALIFICATIONS"
Bacon: "WHAT IS YOUR JOB ?"
Woolley: "I AM THE FINANCE DIRECTOR OF THE MOD"

Rhodri Morgan - Don’t worry about Plaid Daily Post, UK - 18 Feb 2008
He criticised Plaid vice president and MEP Jill Evans for attacking the proposed multi-million pounds Defence Training Academy in St Athan, south Wales, ...So who is Rhodri listening to?

massive privatisation of military training -

2008-03-07T00:50:00.000-08:00

Bloglith Jill Evans / Jill Evans' Blog
By Cangen Bontnewydd Branch, Plaid Cymru(Cangen Bontnewydd Branch, Plaid Cymru)
Justice Group. The subject was the proposed military training academy at St Athan. This is a massive privatisation of military training - putting it into the hands of private companies. You can read about the issue in more detail in the ...
Plaid Cymru, Cangen Bontnewydd Branch - http://plaidcymrubont.blogspot.com/

Paul Murphy St Athan project nothing to do with him!

2008-03-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

Q. Did the 'Wales Office' not have to approve the St Athan PFI?

Paul Murphy : Written Answers - Wales: Departmental Private Finance Initiative (3 Mar 2008)
The Wales Office has not initiated or approved any private finance initiative projects in the last threeyears.

A. Its not a Welsh PFI. Remember that MC3 package 1 solution was based around Bordon and Cosford and Portsmouth. It was instigated by Mod with Ministerial backing. However the Welsh politicians did help Metrix win the bid by hard lobbying and the WDA provided human resources to METRIX.

Not in our NAME!

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales bid for UK military academy
Politicians have been in London to make the case for St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan as the location for a new pan-forces military academy. ...not in my name!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4825632.stm

Same old lies....5,500 jobs ...no way

Speaking at the launch of the bid by Metrix in London on Monday, economic development minister Andrew Davies said the Welsh Assembly Government was "fully supportive".
The creation of 5,500 jobs and with 10,000 trainees being based at the site are estimated to be worth around £58m per year to the area

Even John Smith of pork barel fame and Metrix lacky doesn't agree with those figures.

John Smith MP in the House of commons on Thursday 28th Feb

Metrix has used the most conservative calculations to show that it will create at least 1,500 jobs in the wider community of my constituency of Vale of Glamorgan and south Wales generally.

Not so many jobs then...John Smith?

2008-03-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

I notice that the job figures are going down.. ...down...down...John Smith MP paid for 4 newspaper pages to be published (funded by his parliamentary communications allowance) in the Glamorgan Gem on the 31st Jan 2008 proclaiming that there was to be 5,500 jobs....and has been saying this time and time again since or before Jan 2007. Now it is 3,000 jobs ...maybe ...and we are to believe Metrix???
Will he now apologise for misleading the people of Wales and in his constituency? Will he pay to publish a new more accurate account of the number of jobs available?? Now John Smith MP says we must be careful?....a little late for that noww that the welsh people have been repeatedly told that there will be 5,000 + jobs and that is the basis for ALL the politicians backing it. Time to ask some questions ...the people of Wales deserve better.

John Smith MP in the House of commons on Thursday 28th Feb says there are only 3,000 jobs...

"However, I shall give the revised figures. There will be roughly just over 1,000 trainers' jobs—in training design and general training provision—just over 1,000 support jobs for training on the site; and 1,000 full-time military jobs on the site. That is approximately—we must be careful—3,000 jobs.

Metrix has used the most conservative calculations to show that it will create at least 1,500 jobs in the wider community of my constituency of Vale of Glamorgan and south Wales generally. Metrix uses a multiplier of 0.5. That means that every new military job—uniform or civilian—that comes to St. Athan will create half a job in the community. The company therefore estimates 1,500 jobs and a total of 4,500. That is down from the original total of 5,500 but I stress that the estimate is conservative. The usual multiplier for military bases that move into an area and provide work is between one and a half and three times the number of military jobs.

The number of jobs that we get in Wales depends on us, not Metrix or anybody else. It depends on our preparedness to take up the jobs and the opportunities that come our way as a result of the process. If one read the BBC website on the day of the announcement, one would have believed that we had lost out. The calculation that I explained does not include the training of at least 6,500 military engineers every year at St. Athan. The jobs that that will create are not even factored in. It is a huge opportunity."

Note that Raytheon armsdealers is a key partner of the Metrix consortium - They mislead people in Northern Ireland ....
Raytheon managers have been in collusion with Invest Northern

Ireland

officials to evade and ignore the policies of Derry City. Representatives of the SDLP and Sinn Fein, have repeatedly said that Raytheon gave them explicit assurances that there would be no arms-related production at the Derry plant. The two parties have explained that it was on the basis of these assurances that they welcomed Raytheon to the north west. It is now clear that Raytheon wasn't telling the truth.

Are we sure they are telling the truth here to the Welsh people???

Contact John Smith MP smithj@parliament.uk

PCS ST Athan Evidence to the WAG Finance Committee

2008-02-22T03:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-18T03:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-02-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

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

por k-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://e n.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!

2008-02-17T03:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-14T05:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-06T10:40:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

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

Top Cat..David Davies reply to a letter on St Athan Military Academy

2008-01-29T05:57:00.000-08:00

I wrote to David Davies re EDM 785 PRIVATE MILITARY & SECURITY and St Athan Military Academy and his reply....

Does your organisation receieve public money directly or indirectly by any chance?

Regards David TC DaviesDoes your organisation receieve public money directly or indirectly by any chance?

Regards David TC Davies

I replied......with one word ..............Meoooow!!

David Davies (Welsh politician) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Therefore, David Davies is referred to in the House of Commons in Westminster as David T.C. Davies. This has caused opposition MPs to refer to him in jest ...as Top Cat, a cartoon character who shares the same initials.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/david_davies/monmouth

daviesd@parliament.uk

EDM 785 PRIVATE MILITARY & SECURITY

2008-01-29T03:15:00.000-08:00

Early Day Motion PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY COMPANIES EDM 785

24.01.2008

Anderson, David

That this House is concerned by the exponential growth of private military and security companies (PMSCs) since the invasion of Iraq; is disturbed by the substantial rise of reported incidents of civilian killings and human rights abuses by PMSC guards in Iraq who remain unregulated and unaccountable; further notes that problems posed by proliferation of PMSCs were highlighted in a Green Paper in February 2002 that originated in a request from the Foreign Affairs Committee but that, six years later, there is still no United Kingdom legislation regulating PMSCs; believes that self-regulation by the industry is not appropriate in this instance; and urges the Government to bring forward legislative proposals for the control of the PMSC sector as an urgent priority.

Conservative Party Bottomley, Peter Open: 1 Closed: 0 Labour Party Anderson, David Caton, Martin Corbyn, Jeremy Cryer, Ann Drew, David Jones, Lynne Meale, Alan Open: 7 Closed: 0 Liberal Democrats Hancock, Mike

Regulate Mercenaries 24 Jan 2008
Dave Anderson MP has again urged controls on private military and security companies.
This time he has tabled a Commons motion expressing his concern at the unregulated activities of some of these companies in Iraq and calling for regulation.

Martin Canton Addresses: Constituency 26 Pontardulais Road, Gorseinon Swansea SA4 4FE

Labour MP for Gower
Majority: 6,703 votes. — 339th out of 639 MPs.
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Alan Meale MP
Ann Cryer MP rowenc@parliament.uk
Lynne Jones

No interferring John Smith in the St Athan planning application

2008-01-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

By John Smith : 2 Commons debates
 =================================
 
Oral Answers to Questions - Wales: Defence Training Programme (16 Jan 2008)
 http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2008-01-16a.917.6&s=speaker%3A10550#g9
17.7
 John Smith: What progress is being made on the Defence Training
 Programme at RAF St. Athan; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Pritchard (Wrekin, The, Conservative) Link to this | Hansard source

Is the Minister aware that, according to a recent survey by the Public and Commercial Services union, 72 per cent. of the defence personnel who are expected to move to Wales from RAF Cosford in my constituency are either unwilling or unable to do so? Is it not about time we were given some transparency in the planning problems mentioned by the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (John Smith)?

Oral Answers to Questions - Wales: Defence Training Programme (16 Jan  2008)
 http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2008-01-16a.917.6&s=speaker%3A10550#g9
17.9
 John Smith: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply and I thank him and the Secretary of State for their work in attracting this multi-billion
 pound investment to Wales. If all of Wales is to benefit from it, we must get the
planning right. Will my hon. Friend agree to meet me to
 discuss the local authority's planning strategy to ensure that it appreciates the
sheer scale and strategic importance of this...

The strange tale of the Wrekin MP Mark Pritchards appointment to the Welsh Affairs committee!

2008-01-12T04:02:00.001-08:00

10 October 2007 : Parliamentary Question

RAF St. Athan

Mark Pritchard questions the Secretary of State for Wales on progress on infrastructure projects in support of the Defence Training Review project at RAF St. Athan. full story

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/welsh_affairs_committee.cfm

On Monday 17 December 2007 Mr Stephen Crabb MP was discharged from the Committee and was replaced by Mark Pritchard MP

Member Constituency Party Dr Hywel Francis MP (Chairman)AberavonLabour

David T.C. Davies MP Monmouth Conservative

The Grange 16 Maryport Street Usk Monmouthshire NP15 1AB or House of Commons London SW1A 0AA.

if you would like to meet him at one of his surgeries please ring his office on 01291 672817. These are held regularly in Usk, Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth.
If you need to reach me during the week, my office number in Westminster is 0207 2198360, and my fax number is 0207 2192806. I can also be reached by e-mail, at daviesd@parliament.uk
http://www.david-daviesmp.co.uk/contact.aspx

Nia Griffith MP Llanelli Labour
Mrs Siân James MP Swansea EastLabour Mr David Jones MP Clwyd West Conservative
Mr Martyn Jones MP Clwyd SouthLabour Rt Hon Alun Michael MP Cardiff South and Penarth Labour Co-op Albert Owen MP Ynys MonLabour Mark Pritchard MP The Wrekin Conservative Mr Hywel Williams MP Caernarfon Plaid Cymru Mark Williams MP Ceredigion Liberal Democrats

& Who is Mark Pritchard, MP??? Mark Pritchard is Conservative MP for The Wrekin (Shropshire). He is Secretary of the Conservative Defence Committee; and Secretary of the Conservative Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a member of two Select Committees: Department of Work & Pensions; and Environmental Audit Select Committee.

PCS expose blatent job number lies

2008-01-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

PCS met with Jill Evans MEP...The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the blatant distortion being expressed by a number of Welsh MPs as to the number of new jobs being created in south Wales as part of this multi billion pounds private finance deal.
Activists explained that the thousands of new high skill jobs promised by Welsh MPs were a fallacy because existing civil servants were already employed in them. This means that only low paid and low skilled jobs would be on offer.

As part of the programme, some 1,100 civil servants have been identified as being likely to be transferred across to a private consortium called Metrix. Yet the Welsh Assembly had frequently gone on record as stating that somewhere in the region of 6,000 new jobs were being created.

http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=915899

PCS on privatising defence training and METRIX

2008-01-04T04:56:00.000-08:00

17 Jan 2007 Des Browne unveils new defence training academy in Wales The defence training review is all about making the investment needed to ... loss of specialist skills and knowledge," said Mark Serwotka of the PCS union. ...
www.politics.co.uk/news/foreign-policy/defence/defence/super-defence-academy-plans-unveiled-$463622.htm - 29k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

18^th July 2006 MoD STAFF IN CANDLELIT VIGIL OVER PRIVATISATION File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML
The general secretary is Mark Serwotka and the president is Janice Godrich. * PCS has over 18000 members in the Ministry of Defence. Alex Flynn ...
www.politics.co.uk/.../364840/downloads/18th_july_2006_mod_staff_in_candlelit_vigil_over_privatisation.doc - [ More results from www.politics.co.uk ]

Thursday, 25 Oct 2007nomurderacademyatstathan: PCS WELCOME U TURN ON MOD Privatisation Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “Thanks to the well argued case put by ... ST ATHAN - The Defence Training Review Rationalization ...www.nomurderacademyatstathans.com/2007/11/pcs-welcome-u-turn-on-mod-privatisation.html - 129k - Cached -

Jan 18 2007 Celebration as Wales lands its biggest-ever defence contract - icWales Implementing the Defence Training Review Programme is going to involve numerous ... Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services ...

icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_method=full&objectid=18496158&siteid=50082-name_page.html - 50k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

St Athan Defence Training Academy and the Future of Wales File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
“The only winners in the privatisation of defence training,” says Mark. Serwotka, General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union,“are the ...
www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/fileserve.php?mediaid=149 -

Metrix: QinetiQ CUTS 400 UK Jobs so how many will they bring to ...

Is the tide turning on Defence Training Review ... Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "It is scandalous that a small number of senior managers and ...
metrixconsortium.blogspot.com/2007/11/qinetiq-rewards-mount-with-rise-in.html - 110k - Cached -

UK Political Blog Feeds –

The union hailed the decision to keep one half of defence training in the ... The general secretary is Mark Serwotka and the president is Janice Godrich. ...
www.voidstar.com/ukpoliblog/index.php/fid/835 - 237k -

Ministry of Defence criticised over EDS contract - ZDNet UK Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "It is astounding that the MoD is ... bid on this contract and other contracts such as defence training. ...
news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39285436,00.htm - 67k -

Article The union hailed the decision to keep one half of defence training in the ... Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "Thanks to the well ...
www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/0/BA36DD42ED4EFA5680257380004FF4F0?OpenDocument - 45k -[PDF]

Public Services NOT Private Profit The Case Against Privatisation File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
wholesale privatisation as a result of the Defence Training Review, a PPP contract ... campaign.” Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary ...
www.publicnotprivate.org.uk/booklet.pdf -

Luther ap Blissett: St Athan Company Slammed by Government Agency ... "The only winners in the privatisation of defence training," says Mark Serwotka, ... Cardiff Review: Alternative news, views, and reviews from the 'Diff ...
lutherapblissett.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-athan-consortium-slammed-opposition.html - 80k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

[PDF]

SUCCESS IN THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Defence Training Review.This is the largest PFI project any. government has ever undertaken ..... As part of our campaign General Secretary Mark Serwotka, ...
pcs.live.poptech.coop/Shared_ASP_Files/UploadedFiles/470C643D-A9D9-43B9-B5E2-2AFE7184F616_CBApril07.pdf -

News Story Commenting Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary said: “Whilst we welcome the ... bids for Defence Training and the Defence Information Infrastructure.” ...
www.prospect.org.uk/news/newsstory.php?news=303 - 12k - Cached -

Civil Service Network - Article Mark Serwotka described the privatisation deal as "obscene", adding: "It is ... Defence minister Baroness Taylor said the auditor’s report had recognised ...
www.civilservicenetwork.com/index.php?id=41&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=26279 - 21k - Cached -

How many jobs?

2008-01-04T03:35:00.002-08:00

Chris Bryant (PPS (Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC (Leader of the House of Commons)), Leader of the House of Commons, Rhondda, Labour) | Hansard source 21 Nov 2007

One of the most significant developments in the next few years will be the St. Athan defence training academy, on which we hope that building will start in the next two years. We have already won the first package, so will the Minister do everything in his power to make sure that the Ministry of Defence understands the benefits of bringing the second package to Wales as well? That is supported by everyone on the Labour side of the House, but will he make sure it is supported by everyone on the other side as well?

Huw Irranca-Davies (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Wales Office) Link to this | Hansard source 21 Nov 2007

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. The success of the academy depends very much on strong and coherent cross-party support and leadership. The massive investment in the new St. Athan defence training academy, worth billions of pounds, shows that the Government have given Wales a huge vote of confidence and is a sign of the country's bright economic future. Thousands of jobs will be created when construction of the academy is complete, and they will come on top of the 1,500 jobs created during the construction period. We must continue to show consensus and leadership at all levels on this matter.

Confused Adam Price AS/MP ???

2008-01-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Get real Adam Price AS/MP Dwyrain Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen East and Dinefwr

Backs the privatised military academy but is not embracing 'militarism' ?
He opposes the Governments Privatisation Policy and this is the largest PFI/PPP ever?
Backs this academy idea on 'ECONOMICAL' factors?

Whoops!!! A bit 'economical' with the truth!

Wayne David MP Caerphilly

2008-01-03T08:05:00.001-08:00

This contract will be the largest PFI/PPP project ever undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and will be the largest partnering arrangement ever undertaken in the UK. A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for DTR in simplistic terms means that the winning consortia will effectively own all of the real estate and services for training for the next 25 years. For this they will be paid an annual sum,and must, by law, make a profit for their shareholders. The contract is worth £19 billion

The governments record on such projects is poor - the audit commissions report on Qinetiq- the privatisation of the railways. This will be a disaster and already half the package has gone down the drain whuch Wayne David doesn't mention

PCS called on the MoD to see sense and halt the privatisation of the other half of defence training which includes technical and mechanical training. The union warned that pushing ahead with remaining half of defence training would represent poor value for money and lead to a loss of knowledge and experience as staff would refuse to relocate to the new training base in South Wales

John Smith McMilitary McPolitican award

2007-12-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

Ieuan wins Welsh Politician of Year

Daily Post - Llandudno Junction,UK
... the Year was Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith, a tireless campaigner on the risks of DVT on aircraft, and to bring the new military academy to St Athan. ...

Each winner received a special Mumph cartoon. I know what I'd like to award him!!!The awards ceremony will be shown on ITV1 Wales at 11.35pm tomorrow.

Deputy is Politician of the Year ic Wales, The Campaigner of the Year title went to Vale of Glamorgan Labour MP John Smith. Chairman of the judges Dr Balsom said, “John Smith’s campaign to bring the Defence Academy to St Athan was a major success. (Welsh Politician of the Year is a competition sponsored by the ITV Wales Yearbook.)

Defence Minister says no date set for St Athan decision
ic Wales - THE decision over the second stage of a £14bn defence contract awarded to a Welsh armed forces training centre is still to be made, Bob Ainsworth, Minister for the Armed Forces, said yesterday...And he was unable even to give a date when the decision over the second contract would be made, despite the first contract being awarded nearly a year ago.

John Smith calls for more roads to the murder academy and the airport

2007-12-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

is this what they call sustainable develoment??

‘Act now on airport road’ – call by the Vale MP

Vale MP, John Smith, is calling for action to ease congestion at Culverhouse Cross and improve roads to Cardiff International Airport and the planned Defence Training Academy at St Athan. Mr Smith said: “While I recognise the need for a long-term solution in the form of a direct link from the M4 to the airport and the Defence Academy, there is need for immediate action. “The present situation is not acceptable. Cardiff is one of the fastest growing regional airports in the UK, and building work on the Defence Academy is expected to begin in 2009. This leaves us with a short window of opportunity. “I shall be writing to the Welsh Assembly Government as part of its consultation on improving access to Cardiff International Airport, urging them to examine the possibility of improvements to the present airport access route from junction 33 of the M4 via Culverhouse Cross through north Barry and to the Airport and St Athan. “I believe there is an urgent need for a dedicated route to Barry skirting the western side of Culverhouse Cross. “This would provide vital breathing space while a new long-term solution is built from the M4 to the airport and the Defence Academy,” the MP insisted.

Copyright Tindle Newspapers Ltd 07 December 07

Couldn't have done worse on ebay - John Pugh MP on Qinetiq

2007-12-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

HOC Mon 3 Dec 4.30pm, Rm 15 The privatisation of Qinetiq

Bill Jeffrey CB, Permanent Under Secretary, Trevor Woolley, Finance Director, Ministry of Defence, Peter Schofield, Director, The Shareholder Executive and officials from Qinetiq.

Ian Davidson, Labour MP, said Carlyle “took advantage of these poor unfortunates who really should not have been let out alone”.

John Pugh, Liberal Democrat, said: “It’s difficult to think what you could have done worse apart from putting it on Ebay.”

mps berate team in Qinetiq deal
Financial Times - London,England,UK
By Alex Barker, Political Correspondent mps on Monday berated officials involved in the privatisation of Qinetiq, the defence research group, ...

what discussions has the chancellor had with MOD on QinetiQ???

2007-12-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

Written answers

Thursday, 29 November 2007

What are written answers?

Treasury

QinetiQ

All Written Answers on 29 Nov 2007

Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West, Liberal Democrat) | Hansard source

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues at the Ministry of Defence on the National Audit Office report on the privatisation of QinetiQ.

Andy Burnham (Chief Secretary, HM Treasury) | Hansard source

The Government accept the recommendations made in the NAO report, and welcomes the work undertaken to highlight lessons that can be applied in the future.

Jane Hutt visit to MOD Shrivenham in May and who paid for that trip?

2007-11-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

Standing up for the Vale and for Wales

Jane Hutt sells out to Metrix

If you asked me what I have been doing for the past three weeks since the Election on May 3^rd, I would say that I have been pursuing the three commitments I made on that night: to serve the people of the Vale of Glamorgan to the best of my ability, to promote the re-generation of Barry to make the town a place we can be proud of and to secure the maximum benefits of the Defence Training Academy for St Athan, the Vale and the wider region of south east Wales...

Moving on to the Defence Training Academy in St Athan, I was pleased to join a St Athan Community Council partnership visit to MOD Shrivenham recently, to introduce the local community and town councils of St Athan, Llanmaes and Llantwit Major to the staff and facilities of the tri-service Defence Training College.

With Welsh Assembly Government officials from the DTA project team, Vale Council planning and transport officials and Cabinet Member, Cllr Chris Williams, local interests and partners were well represented on this visit.

In addition, Mike Hayle, the Chief Executive of Metrix joined us in Shrivenham to contribute to the wide-ranging discussions about the time-scales, impacts, issues and opportunities that this £15bn project offers to the Vale and to Wales. I was able to reassure the group of the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to exploring transport options for improving access to the St Athan development including road and rail.

This visit to Shrivenham provided us with the opportunity to view a top class tri-service Training College designed by the same architect employed by Metrix for St Athan. I look forward to the next visit by Metrix to meeting in June with the town and community councils, Vale Council and I shall be chairing those meetings as the start of this ongoing process of close consultation throughout this multi million project from which we must derive maximum benefit.

.. important principles that have guided me throughout my life in politics – seeking to build trust with integrity and good faith, backed by openness and a determination to seek the common good....twaddle and you embrace Metrix with RAYTHEON AND THING THAT IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF WALES???

I hope this 'TOP CLASS' (Jane where did you get that idea from?) tri-service training college has improved since its last inspection?

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE

In 2005, the College will become the United Kingdom ’s Tri-Service Sixth ...... (The Royal Military College of Science), which is located at Shrivenham. ...

Metrix plan wins as jobs come to St Athan - Cardiff News - News ...

He said: "A detailed evaluation process of bids from consortium Metrix has ... Meanwhile, Jane Hutt, AM for the Vale, was throwing a party for other AMs, ...
icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/.../2007/01/17/

Is St Athan Project affordable? South Wales Helicopter Fleet to be relocated to St Athan

2007-11-26T03:58:00.000-08:00

Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru The National Assembly for Wales

Cofnod y Trafodion The Record of Proceedings

Dydd Mawrth, 13 Tachwedd 2007 Tuesday, 13 November 2007

The Record (PDF 477, kb). Pa drafodaethau mae Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn eu cynnal gyda Llywodraeth San Steffan i sicrhau y cyflawnir Metrix 2 fel y gall safle Sain Tathan ddarparu'r academi hyfforddi Priorities in South Wales Central Q5 Andrew R.T. Davies: Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Assembly Government's priorities in South Wales Central? We are pleased that it is getting off the ground, although there will obviously be an enormous amount of legal negotiations before construction starts, probably in about 15 months. We continue to be confident about the delivery of all the necessary infrastructure.

(Don't you need planning permission first? Don't you need to consult with local residents?)

Category: Business Date: 13/11/2007

Andrew R.T. Davies: I wish to draw your

attention to the Metrix development. At the time of its announcement, all partner
organisations were due a great deal of credit for delivering the Metrix 1 project. However,
there is great concern in my constituency about the status of the Metrix 2 project and
its financial affordability

Datganiad a Chyhoeddiad Busnes
Business Statement and Announcement

The Record. The Record. Credwn ei bod yn anymarferol ailagor y gronfa datblygu swyddfeydd post nes y bydd yn glir sut y mae Swyddfa’r Post yn mynd i ddelio â phleon, fel yr un a wnaeth Christine Chapman yn gynharach dros Benderyn, sy’n dweud bod rhyw swyddfa bost neu’i gilydd yn achos arbennig oherwydd y bydd ei chau yn gadael cymuned wedi’i hynysu’n ormodol, am fod gormod o bellter i’r swyddfa bost nesaf, neu am ei bod mewn cymuned arbennig o anodd neu ddifreintiedig neu ar ben rhiw serth. Y Prif Weinidog: Ymysg ein blaenoriaethau mae rhoi cychwyn ar brosiect Metrix yn yr Asiantaeth Atgyweirio Awyrennau Amddiffyn yn Sain Tathan, sicrhau cwblhad trafodaethau llwyddiannus ar gam 2 yr ysbyty plant, agor y drydedd lôn ar yr M4 o Coryton i Gas-bach, a’r rhaglen welliannau sylweddol ar wasanaethau rheilffyrdd y Cymoedd. Equally, given the tightness of the budget, irrespective of Metrix 2 arriving, is the Welsh Assembly Government able to deliver the infrastructure improvements that such a large development will demand, and which will benefit the residents of the Vale of Glamorgan?

Andrew R.T. Davies: I seek a written statement from the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport on the land bank that the Assembly Government intends to build around the St Athan development? Many are aware of the plans regarding the Matrix development, but there is also the Aerospace Wales park. I understand that there is now a proposal for the South Wales Police helicopter fleet to be relocated to the St Athan area. There is great concern regarding what the Assembly Government is to achieve in that area in addition to what is currently being proposed. I seek a written statement on the land bank and the timeframe for the proposals to be implemented

Category: Business Date: 20/11/2007

Derek Twigg MP can't say How many jobs at St Athan

2007-11-25T07:02:00.002-08:00

Military Bases: Wales How many jobs?

All Written Answers on 10 Jul 2007

John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan, Labour) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel he expects will be based at MOD St. Athan when the new military academy is complete.

Derek Twigg (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence) | Hansard source

The scale of the facility to be constructed at St. Athan is dependent upon the outcome of further work with the Metrix Consortium which is exploring the possibility of a Whole Programme Solution.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2007-07-10a.147282.h

AMs, Cllrs and MPs support the Metrix bid but why?

2007-11-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

You are here: Publications and Records > Commons Publications > Select Committees > Welsh Affairs > Welsh Affairs

Select Committee on Welsh Affairs Fourth Report

http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:h4rBudLeD0oJ:www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmwelaf/1129/112905.htm+Wales+All-Party+Military+Academy+Group.&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

3 The Metrix Bid

Metrix

15. Metrix is a consortium which is bidding for both of the packages and propose to site them both at St Athan. Chris Bryant MP, Chairman of the M4 St Athan Parliamentary Steering Group explained that Metrix was a consortium of companies that included "some of the biggest players in their respective fields". [20] The full list of consortium members are Augusta Westland, City and Guilds, Currie and Brown, Dalkia, EDS, Laing O'Rourke, Land Securities Trillium, Nord Anglia Eduation Plc, Qinetiq, Ratheon, Serco, Sodexho Defence Services and The Open University.[21]

16. We do not set out the details of the Metrix bid in this report as they remain commercially confidential until the conclusion of the competition. Instead, we gauge the support for the bid in Wales.

17. While the two Metrix bids represent a significant proportion of the St Athan site, we were told by a number of our witnesses that the Metrix bids would not impinge on the current commercial development of the site. Furthermore, the two bids could be located on the St Athan site alongside existing contracts with ATC Lasham and the Special Services Support Group. John Smith MP, a Member of the M4 St Athan Parliamentary Steering Group and the local Member of Parliament told us that RAF St Athan was the largest military base in the United Kingdom covering 1000 acres. He confirmed that St Athan could "accommodate the two packages for the Defence Training Review on 600 acres of the remaining land" which would still leave between 200 and 300 acres to continue the development of a commercial aerospace park on the site.[22] Therefore, development of the site for the training academies could proceed without any disruption to existing activity at St Athan.

Benefits of the Bid for Wales

18. Jenny Randerson AM, told us that successful bids would have an important impact on the economy of south Wales. She explained that St Athan had "a travel-to-work employment population of 600,000 people within 45 minutes' drive-time" which included the population of Cardiff where there was "an academic and training infrastructure to support this development".[23]

19. Councillor Harvey also highlighted the potential for a successful Metrix bid to act as "a motor for economic growth not only in the Vale of Glamorgan but in the sub-region and the Welsh economy as a whole". He added that the bids would also help to "maintain and grow the critical mass we need to have a sustainable, expanding aerospace industry.[24] Jane Hutt AM agreed that successful bids would have a significant impact on employment in the region. She argued that it could create "up to 1,500 direct construction jobs during the building of the academy, and creation of 5,550 permanent jobs - 4,000 on site and 1,500 off-site; once the academies were up and running".[25]

20. In 2004, our predecessor Committee published its report on Manufacturing and Trade in Wales. That report examined the defence sector, including defence spending in Wales. One of the witnesses in that inquiry, Professor Gripaios, the Head of South West Economy Centre, University of Plymouth, argued that while Wales did well in identifiable public expenditure, which was defined as "expenditure incurred on behalf of a particular population", Wales did "very poorly from the non-identified component of public expenditure, principally Defence". In conclusion he asserted that Wales had the lowest defence spending of any UK region.[26]

21. During our inquiry our witnesses returned to that issue. Representatives of the M4/St Athan Parliamentary Steering Group stated that while 9% of military personnel were recruited from Wales, only 6% of MoD public spending and procurement came to Wales. They saw a serious inequity in that situation and argued that St Athan could help to restore that balance.[27]

22. David Melding AM also believed that the MoD had to recognise the fact that all the home nations should be able to contribute fully to the defence of the United Kingdom, and that the Metrix bid would help Wales to achieve that goal.[28] In addition, Chris Bryant MP highlighted the military tradition in south Wales, which he described as being "an enormously supportive environment for the military".[29] David Melding AM concurred. He argued that Wales had "a very proud military tradition in supporting the defence of this country and abroad, and we want to go on doing that". He also argued that locating the training academies at St Athan would have "a major impact on the morale of people in Wales as well as being an opportunity in terms of economic development".[30]

23. In relation to the MoD's physical sites Tom Watson MP, Under Secretary of State for Defence, Ministry of Defence, acknowledged that this was a legacy from 50 years ago when many RAF bases were established in the east of England.[31] Nick Evans Director General Management and Organisation, Ministry of Defence, added that like all other government departments, the MoD was subject to the Lyons Review recommendations to relocate people from London and the South East of England, which would reverse that trend. While the Minister declared that not investing in Wales was not an MoD policy, he reiterated the fact that MoD investment decisions "have to be made against what is best for our military outputs".[32]

Support for the Bid

24. In this short inquiry we took evidence from all tiers of government in Wales to assess support for the Metrix bid. Our witnesses included representatives from the Vale of Glamorgan Council, backbench Members of the National Assembly, the Welsh Assembly Government, and backbench Members of Parliament.

M4 ST ATHAN PARLIAMENTARY STEERING GROUP

25. Chris Bryant MP, Chairman of the M4 St Athan Parliamentary Steering Group explained that his Group had been established to help promote the Metrix bid. It was made up of Members of Parliament from all four political parties represented in Wales, and included Members with English constituencies. He argued that such a range of support was important in order to:

"show that there is very strong political support across ideology, across different kinds of constituencies, both rural and metropolitan, both north Walian and south Walian, valleys and cities, and stretching into the work zone of England as well because we believe that that support will be an essential part of delivering the outcomes that the MoD needs".[33]

26. John Smith MP, a member of the Group and the local Member of Parliament, agreed with his colleague's assessment. He stated that it was "vitally important that this campaign be seen as a much broader campaign than just a Vale of Glamorgan campaign" because "the benefits of a successful Metrix bid would go "far beyond the Vale".[34] Furthermore, he was clear that the role of the Group was to promote the merits of the Metrix bid rather than campaign for "some sort of quid pro quo for recent disappointing decisions about DARA". To that end, he believed it was vital to have an All Party Group whose membership extended across Wales and into England.[35]

27. We were told that the role of the Parliamentary Steering Group was to raise support for the Metrix bid "locally, nationally across Wales, and to make sure Ministers understand the unique aspects of our bid".[36] It also tasked itself with presenting the high level of support for the bid to Ministers.[37] John Smith MP explained that the Group had the objective to seek assurances that the evaluation process would be "robust, fair and objective", and was confident that if it was, then the Metrix bid would win on merit.[38] Chris Bryant MP summed up the role of the Group as one of ensuring that "if any ministers in the MoD had a Cosford chip on one shoulder, they at least had a St Athan chip on the other shoulder".[39]

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES ALL-PARTY MILITARY ACADEMY GROUP

28. We also took evidence in Cardif from the National Assembly for Wales All-Party Military Academy Group. David Melding AM, a member of the Group explained that its principal focus was to help the Welsh Assembly Government in its support of the bid. He argued that although colleagues at Westminster had the principal responsibility for "bringing some pressure to bear on the Ministry of Defence", his Group had an important role to play to "demonstrate that there is an enormous amount of grass-roots support in the community" for the Metrix bid.[40] Jane Hutt AM, a member of the Welsh Assembly Government, but talking to us as a member of the All Party Group and the local Assembly Member, told us that the two all Party Groups, alongside the Vale of Glamorgan Council, had demonstrated strong support for the bid. She declared that "there has not been a voice of dissention at all in all of the weeks leading up to the public launch of this bid. It has been universally supported locally".[41] Jenny Randerson AM described the bid as being "of importance to the whole of south Wales".[42]

VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL

29. Councillor Harvey, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure at the Vale of Glamorgan Council confirmed the support of his Council. He told us that Council Members had attended meetings with Assembly Members, MoD Officers, and representatives of other Local Authorities to promote the Metrix bid. In addition to those meetings he confirmed that the Council was taking the initiative on "infrastructure matters" in relation to St Athan.[43]

WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

30. Andrew Davies AM demonstrated the strong support of the Welsh Assembly Government for the bid. He explained that in relation to the Metrix bid, initial contact between the consortium and the Welsh Assembly Government was between Welsh Assembly Government officials, headed by David Swallow, a Welsh Assembly Government official. Andrew Davies AM explained that David Swallow now headed "Team Wales" which was the Welsh Assembly Government's team to support and assist the bid, and that the Team had representatives from his Department, from the Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, and the public sector, and included "a very great deal of support from the Vale of Glamorgan Local Authority".[44]

31. In addition to the work of Team Wales, Andrew Davies AM confirmed that both he and the First Minister had already held "a series of meetings, conversations, exchanges and correspondence in terms of saying that in our view the Metrix bid is the best bid not only for Wales but it will be good for the MoD and the armed forces".[45] Furthermore, he confirmed that the Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan AM, First Minister, had held meetings with the Armed Forces Minister, while he had held meetings with Wales Office Ministers.[46]

32. We are impressed with the high level of support for the bid and welcome the cross party cooperation at all levels in promoting the Metrix bid to locate the MoD's Military Training Academy at St Athan.

Cllr Margaret Alexander Vale of Glamorgan

2007-11-04T02:27:00.000-08:00

Time for politicans to give us the facts - Cllr Margaret Alexander welcomes Raytheon - Not welcome in Belgium, Norway ...

Taking aim at those who finance Cluster bombs
Lima: Taking Aim at Those Who Finance Cluster Bombs

The six biggest producers of cluster bombs — Lockheed Martin, EADS, Thales, GenCorp, Textron and Raytheon —

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has expressed its delight at the news that a £14bn military academy is to be built at RAF St Athan.

Email: mealexander@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Actually 19bn
The Metrix Consortium proposal will bring a large number of highly skilled jobs to the Vale and will transform the area for decades.

Not true - lots of jobs will be transferred to St Athan that the local people don't have the skills for - So how many jobs???

The Council has always maintained the St Athan site is one of the most attractive in Wales for such a development, and Leader Cllr Margaret Alexander said: "It is rewarding to see that this has now been recognised in the decision by the Ministry of Defence. I am delighted at today's news.
"The 4,000-plus direct jobs that this proposal will bring will undoubtedly lead to many more jobs being created throughout South Wales, with all the benefits that this brings to the local economy."

NOT TRUE _ 4,000 jobs - where did you get that figure from??? Certainly PCS fighting MOD cuts and Privatisation elsewhere don't agree

The Council, at both member and officer level, has worked hard with the Welsh Assembly Government and with Metrix in preparing the bid. Cllr Alexander added: "It was important for the Council to demonstrate that it could efficiently deliver a project of this scale through the necessary statutory processes. It has also been very encouraging that the local communities around St Athan have always been supportive of this bid, and I am sure this has been another major factor in its success."
The Council now looks forward to working with Metrix and the Welsh Assembly in delivering the proposal and in ensuring that the benefits are spread as widely as possible throughout the Vale and the rest of South East Wales.

Handicap International activist Anne Villeneuve said that 98 percent of victims of cluster munitions are civilians, the great majority of whom are poor, and many of whom are children.

Cllr Alexander continued: "The hard work that has been undertaken by my colleagues in all parties, along with their partners in the Welsh Assembly and Metrix, has paid off.
"This proposal will transform the area and there will be many challenges to meet in terms of necessary infrastructure, education, skills and housing. This Council is up to the challenge and looks forward to playing its full part in delivering this exciting project."

Exciting project??? - inviting Metrix - including cluster bomb makers Raytheon who are

ONE THIRD OF ALL RECORDED CLUSTER MUNITION CASUALTIES ARE CHILDREN

For more information visit our Planning Development Brief page, which contains the St Athan Development Brief and maps.

Raytheon (USA) produces the AGM154 Joint Standoff weapon (JSOW), an air-delivered bomb with some cluster munition variants. For example the AGM154A, the standard version, contains 145 BLU-97/B sub munitions. Also the Tomahawk cruise missile has amongst its variants a submunition warhead Explosive investments

We need your help to tell the Welsh Assembly Government and Cllrs in the Vale of Glamorgan that this approach is unacceptable.What you can do: Sign petitions• Send an email to Foreign Secretary David Miliband• Sign the Downing Street petition• Collect signatures to Get Them MilibannedWrite to your MP• Write to your MP with the guidance of this sample letter

Increase awareness in your community

Belgium has not only banned the production of cluster bombs, but also adopted a law in March that bans banks and investment funds operating in that country from investing in companies that make these munitions. All countries should follow Belgium’s lead

Derek Twiggg ministerial statement

2007-10-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

Written Ministerial Statements — Defence: Defence Training (25 Oct 2007)

Derek Twigg (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence) Hansard source
This statement updates the House on the Defence Training Rationalisation Programme following the announcement made on 17 January 2007, Official Report, column 787-89.
We continue to make progress on package 1, which aims to deliver training for Engineering and Communications and Information Systems. We have now let a risk reduction contract with Metrix which seeks to increase confidence in our ability to amend training courses quickly and efficiently over the life of the main contract in response to changes in training needs. It is anticipated that we will be in a position to commit to the final developmental phase of the project in the spring of next year with a view to signing the main contract within a further year. Construction at the St. Athan site would then start in 2009, with the aim of completing the final phase by 2013.

The work to explore possible synergies and economies of scale across the programme as a whole has concluded that there are insufficient efficiencies to move forward on this basis. We therefore continue to consider a range of options for package 2, which aims to provide training for Logistics and Personnel Administration, Police and Guarding, Security, Languages, Intelligence and Photography. These options vary from adaptations to Metrix' original PFI proposals through to a full conventional procurement. The work to develop an affordable project will continue to focus on how best to improve our accommodation and training facilities, and meet our commitments following the review by Nicholas Blake QC to improve the support, welfare and wellbeing of our trainees.

We continue to manage the implications for our people sensitively and in full consultation with trades unions and staff. For package 1, our civilian staff in scope will continue to be required to transfer to the new partner, although no moves will take place before 2011. For package 2, training will continue to be delivered at the package 2 sites under current arrangements for at least the foreseeable future. We now plan to take forward more detailed negotiations with the Metrix consortium to press ahead with package 1. The work on package 2 will be conducted in parallel and a further update on both packages will be provided next year.

Hain

2007-10-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hain moves fast to lift gloom over academy
ic Wales, United Kingdom - 6 hours agoPOLITICIANS today tried to reassure people the vast majority of a £14bn military training academy will go ahead as planned. Work on the defence facility for ...

Nicholas Bourne AM Tory leader in Wales

2007-10-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Bourne AM "leading the Welsh Tories"

CONSORTIUM

"We have given it our backing and support"

Cllr Richard Bertin

2007-10-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Vale of Glamorgan New Labour Cllr Richard Bertin "will bring many well paid jobs to the area" ? With a staggering 61% of the vote - Court Labour Councillor Richard Bertin boasts he has been crowned the Vale of Glamorgan Youth Champion for 2007.

These jobs for our young people wouldn't be...

Politicians on St Athan Military Academy

The Aerospace Business Park a 'dog's breakfast

Aerospace and St Athan dithering

Drummer boy for Metrix John Smith told to resign

MPs' expenses: John Smith claimed £57,955 without submitting a single receipt

Telegraph...An MP claimed £57,955 in second home expenses in four years without submitting a single receipt.

MP John Smith defends himself over expenses allegations

Shame on OU and Nord Anglia

Shame on OU accrediting arms dealers courses courses

John Smith Pork Barrelling

tory leader on st athan pfi

Misleading DTR coverage

supporter of Academy

John Smith MP drummer boy for METRIX

“Government ministers need to come clean and declare this project dead”

New Labour attack Jill Evans

Adam Price for a military academy?

Costs soaring into stratosphere

Defence Training Review Programme

WAG ministerial steering group on DTA ST ATHAN

Document Download

Vale of Glamorgan - SEWEF Construction Skills SEWEF are also in touch with WAG (DEIN) officials regarding the potential afforded by the proposal for a Defence Training College at St. Athan. ...

MOD on St Athan

get planning permission and highway improvements for redevelopment of RAF St Athan

Business of war

Ministers, Civil servants PFI gravy train

Ministers and Civil servants on the PFI gravy train online only

Alan Milburn, Health Secretary from 1998 to 2003

Charles Clarke Education Secretary from 2002 to 2004 Home Secretary from 2004 to 2006

Patricia Hewitt Health Secretary from 2005 to 2007

David Blunkett Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004 Education Secretary from 1997 to 2001 and Work and Pensions secretary in 2005

Lord Warner Health Minister from 2003 to 2007

Hilary Armstrong secretary of state for local government from 1997 to 2001 for the Cabinet Office from 2006 to 2007

Nick Raynsford a Local Government and Housing minister from 1997 to 2005

Ian McCartney Trade Minister from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2006 to 2007

Stephen Byers Trade and industry secretary from 1998 to 2001

Richard Caborn Trade minister from 1999 to 2001

Brian Wilson Energy minister from 2001 to 2003

Stephen Ladyman transport minister from 2005 to 2007

Frank Field welfare reform minister from 1997 to 1998

Sir Michael Barber former head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit

Baroness Sally Morgan

Sir Gerry Loughran

Lord Wilson of Dinton

Lord Turnbull

Sir Peter Gershon

Chris Woodhead

Sir Steve Robson

Simon Stevens

Tom Granatir

Darren Murphy

leadership challenge over St Athan policy

Inexperienced politicans & Rhodri Morgan

massive privatisation of military training -

Paul Murphy St Athan project nothing to do with him!

Not so many jobs then...John Smith?

PCS ST Athan Evidence to the WAG Finance Committee

The Defence Training Academy

The extent of the jobs gain and savings

Loss of experience

Lack of accountability

Elfyn Llwyd MP

Contact Elfyn at his Constituency

Westminster

Surgery Details

John Smith pork-barrell award!

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

Cathy Owen from Amnesty International on St Athan Military Academy

John Smith MP claims that Defence Academy is on the Curriculum

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

Paul Murphy's Hawk Record

Constituency

73 Upper Trosnant Street

Westminster

Top Cat..David Davies reply to a letter on St Athan Military Academy

EDM 785 PRIVATE MILITARY & SECURITY

Early Day Motion PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY COMPANIES EDM 785

Regulate Mercenaries 24 Jan 2008Dave Anderson MP has again urged controls on private military and security companies.This time he has tabled a Commons motion expressing his concern at the unregulated activities of some of these companies in Iraq and calling for regulation.

No interferring John Smith in the St Athan planning application

The strange tale of the Wrekin MP Mark Pritchards appointment to the Welsh Affairs committee!

Regulate Mercenaries 24 Jan 2008
Dave Anderson MP has again urged controls on private military and security companies.
This time he has tabled a Commons motion expressing his concern at the unregulated activities of some of these companies in Iraq and calling for regulation.