RSS Feed
February 21st, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
A Whitehall source said: “This is not management consultancy spend, but
technical assistance that the civil service does not possess, such as air
safety certification and nuclear safety tests which have to be independent.”
Introduced by Labour in April 2009, Fats allowed senior defence officials to
hire specialist, short-term help for “niche” tasks without
requiring authorisation from a minister.
Its aim was to hasten work on the MoD’s large, delay-prone procurement
projects by making it easier for managers to hire “highly technical”
experts that the department did not have.
But previous audits have concluded that project managers were not bothering on
seeking internal candidates and that the scheme was open to abuse.
Steve Jary, national secretary of Prospect, a union representing MoD civil
servants, said: “One of the effects of these cuts is that expenditure
actually increases as the MoD has to pay consultants to do the work of those
leaving the department.”
A MoD spokesman insisted that “Fats spending” had reduced in recent years. She
said that it was different from “management consultancy” spending.
She added: “Fats is … external technical services, providing essential
expertise such as independent airworthiness certification that our civil
servants cannot provide.
“In many cases we are required to obtain independent advice on the
adequacy of safety management arrangements and audit of safety related
material for complex weapons.”
A source added: “The unions are being misleading by claiming this work
could be carried out by civil servants when they know that this kind of
technical assessment have to carried out by independent experts.”
Earlier this month the National Audit Office said deep cuts in military
personnel were undermining morale and risked leaving the MoD short of vital
skills.
The National Audit Office said the MoD had begun sacking thousands of military
personnel and civilian officials without knowing how many qualified staff it
would need in each role in future.
The auditors studied MoD plans to cut 25,000 Forces personnel and 29,000
civilian staff by 2015 as part of the Coalition’s reduction in defence
spending.
Posted in 
Tags: 
