Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Business Service work place programme, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of relocating staff into existing government hubs in Liverpool and Manchester compared with consolidating staff workplaces to a single site.

Consolidation at a single location was decided at stage one of a multi-stage assessment process and enables Defence Business Services to offer more flexible career opportunities for staff and options for efficient delivery of services. The down selection of options was made by comparing the qualitative benefits and through life costs of potential sites based on several factors including operational risk, sustainability, and compliance with key user requirements.