Mobile Phones

Debate between Pamela Nash and Philip Dunne

Monday 2nd September 2013 Ministerial Corrections

[Pamela Nash]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to his Department; how much was paid under the contract in the last year for which figures are available; how many individual services are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; when the contract will next be renewed; and for how long.

[Official Report, 20 May 2013, Vol. 563, c. 499W.]

Letter of correction from Philip Dunne:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (Pamela Nash) on 20 May 2013.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Mr Dunne]

[holding answer 16 May 2013]: The majority of mobile telephones supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are provided by Vodafone through an enabling arrangement through the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) contract with British Telecom. The MOD paid a total of £5.3 million (including VAT) for mobile services in financial year 2012-13.

A variety of services are covered by the Vodafone contract but at the simplest level they can be divided in to voice accounts and data accounts. At the end of March 2013 there were 34,924 voice accounts and 8,517 data accounts.

The Vodafone element of the DFTS contract was renewed following competitive processes in 2011 and is due to expire in 2015. Renewal of this contract is currently an element of a wider re-procurement activity for Defence Core Network Services.

The correct answer should have been: