Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what formal assessment his Department undertook prior to the removal of 300 jobs from the MOD Cheadle Hulme site at Dairy House Lane; what process was followed; how the decision was determined; what procedure was used to notify the affected individuals; what procedure was adapted regarding the notification of the hon. Member for Tatton; and what reasons the hon. Member for Tatton was not notified of that decision.

The decision to rehome Defence Business Services (DBS), who currently occupy the Cheadle Hulme site, to new facilities was first announced in Parliament on 24 March 16 (statement UIN HCWS659). The disposal was also included in the Better Defence Estate announcement published in November 2016, which is being delivered by the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio, and letters were sent to local MPs. DEO will deliver a better structured, more economical and modern estate that more effectively supports defence capability.

The intent remains to dispose of the site, and over the past year DBS has been assessing where to locate the c300 posts currently working from Cheadle Hulme as part of a workplace Programme to consolidate its three North West sites. This work continues.

Trade Unions have been kept informed throughout the process, and a series of meetings have been held to inform all affected staff. These will continue, and local MPs will be notified at the conclusion of this Programme, which is currently scheduled to be in early 2022.