Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse of his Department's managing both the current General Service Respirator In Service Support contract until 2020 and the new General Service Respirator In Service Support contract from March 2018.

The investment appraisal for the General Service Respirator requirement was undertaken in line with Departmental policy and considered potential costs, including those associated with managing both the current and new in-service support contracts in parallel until 2020. Overall, the preferred bidder's proposal will provide the best value for money for the Ministry of Defence and the taxpayer.