Thames Tideway Project: Contingent Guarantees

Debate between Lord West of Spithead and Lord De Mauley

Tuesday 14th October 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord De Mauley]

My Lords, the latter half of my noble friend’s question is quite difficult to answer at this stage. The Written Ministerial Statement referred to the contingencies covered by the support package. There are, for example, measures to deal with situations where claims exceed insurance cover, where economic or political events affect access to debt finance, where there are exceptional cost overruns and where the IP goes into special administration. It allows for discontinuation in certain circumstances and deals with how value for money for taxpayers is to be achieved. I can assure noble Lords that we have kept this to an absolute minimum to ensure a competitive process.

[Lord West of Spithead (Lab)]

My Lords, will the Minister confirm that Thames Water has now put in place all the security measures that were required to ensure that water supplies cannot be easily contaminated or poisoned by terrorists?

[Lord De Mauley]

I cannot answer that specific question. I can say that it is Ofwat’s job to oversee exactly what each water company does, particularly Thames Water.

Aerospace Industry

Debate between Lord West of Spithead and Lord De Mauley

Monday 5th December 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord De Mauley]

My Lords, I cannot give the noble and gallant Lord the assurance he is seeking, but I can say that we are absolutely aware that the first responsibility when procuring equipment is to provide our Armed Forces with the capabilities they require at a cost that is affordable and represents best value for money for the taxpayer.

[Lord West of Spithead]

My Lords, would the Minister agree that defence spending is perhaps going down around the world in countries that might see the world and the future world order rather in the way we do, but in the countries that do not see it in that way defence spending is actually going up—in some of them quite alarmingly? Would the Minister also agree that the best way for us to build up a very strong defence industry, which, as has been said, is so important in this country, is for us to buy from it and not to buy off the shelf from abroad?

[Lord De Mauley]

The noble Lord makes a fair point, and the Government have their eye very firmly on other regions of the world. It is also worth saying that defence exports are a key issue for this country, so long as they are legitimate.