PaulDeGearup
18th Apr 2001, 15:09
From today's Telegraph:
"THE RAF is to privatise emergency services and refuelling operations at nearly 100 airfields, including those in Germany and Cyprus, raising fears that operational effectiveness may suffer.
The Ministry of Defence said yesterday that it was negotiating with three consortia to sell off the services as part of a £4 billion, 25-year "private finance" contract. More than 2,000 staff, many of them civilians, will be transferred to the companies who win the contract but the MoD said job cuts were expected.
The winner will have to provide emergency fire and crash cover; aircraft refuelling; movement on the ground; air cargo handling; and keep runways and aircraft clear of snow and ice. But a spokesman said it would not compromise security or operations.However Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: "These services will be provided at some of the most sensitive military sites in the country. There are bound to be questions about security."
The Government has sold off a number of MoD services under its Private Finance Initiative scheme. Critics say that although the low bids submitted to win the contracts appear to offer savings, costs escalate once the Armed Forces have lost the capability to undertake the tasks themselves.
The three bidders are Approach Services; which includes BP and Lex vehicle leasing; Airside, set up by Amey Ventures and British Midland Handling; and Logicair, which includes Serco which bid unsuccessfully for the national air traffic control contract."
Privatising NATS was bad enough; let's be grateful we aren't in the military.
"THE RAF is to privatise emergency services and refuelling operations at nearly 100 airfields, including those in Germany and Cyprus, raising fears that operational effectiveness may suffer.
The Ministry of Defence said yesterday that it was negotiating with three consortia to sell off the services as part of a £4 billion, 25-year "private finance" contract. More than 2,000 staff, many of them civilians, will be transferred to the companies who win the contract but the MoD said job cuts were expected.
The winner will have to provide emergency fire and crash cover; aircraft refuelling; movement on the ground; air cargo handling; and keep runways and aircraft clear of snow and ice. But a spokesman said it would not compromise security or operations.However Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: "These services will be provided at some of the most sensitive military sites in the country. There are bound to be questions about security."
The Government has sold off a number of MoD services under its Private Finance Initiative scheme. Critics say that although the low bids submitted to win the contracts appear to offer savings, costs escalate once the Armed Forces have lost the capability to undertake the tasks themselves.
The three bidders are Approach Services; which includes BP and Lex vehicle leasing; Airside, set up by Amey Ventures and British Midland Handling; and Logicair, which includes Serco which bid unsuccessfully for the national air traffic control contract."
Privatising NATS was bad enough; let's be grateful we aren't in the military.