Projects had slipped by an average of 43 months an increase of six months on 1997 and the equivalent of some 27 per

Projects had slipped by an average of 43 months, an increase of six months on 1997 and the equivalent of some 27 per cent of the average project lifecycle.As well as the Eurofighter, specific contracts which had suffered included Brimstone, an air-launched anti-armour weapon, the BVRAAM fighter plane missile, and Bowman, a hi-tech radio system.David Davis, committee chairman and the Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden, said it was time the MoD measured itself against civilian companies in terms of costs and budgeting. “The MoD’s track record in procuring equipment to time and to cost is abysmal. We have been hearing for a long time that smart procurement will lead to dramatic improvements. My committee will expect clear evidence that the potential savings being publicised are actually achieved and that MoD’s procurement meets the standards expected in comparable situations elsewhere.”The MPs’ report states that despite previous initiatives, the MoD’s performance “remain unsatisfactory” and says “the causes of delays and cost overruns are unchanged”.It adds: “The department’s current performance in procuring equipment to cost and to time was unacceptable, and there was no evidence that the department was controlling projects any better now than in the past, despite previous initiatives that had been presented to the committee.”The MPs also attacked the fact that defence inflation was running at 5 per cent or 6 per cent when factory-gate prices were falling. Such inflation accounts for around £400m of the increases in the 1998 report.

Changes to equipment specifications remained a major cause of cost over-runs, costing £290m, and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary in future, they said. The MoD also continued to make “basic errors” in estimating programme costs, such as missing £2m VAT on the BVRAAM project.The MPs expressed dismay that the Eurofighter project had already over-run by £1.5bn and 42 months and warned that they would monitor the project carefully.Brimstone, an anti-armour weapon, had suffered a 10-year delay, caused by the MoD alone. “The unavailability of the capability that Brimstone would have provided to the Armed Forces has had an adverse impact on the UK’s operations against armed threats during the 1990, including Kosovo,” the report says.Bowman, a tactical communications system, was due to enter service in 1995 and is now six years late, “resulting in a significant capability gap for the Armed Forces”.John Spellar, the Armed Forces minister, said improvement would included integrated project teams with responsibility for each project, a simplified approvals process and a improved commercial practices in teamwork with industry.. John Prescott’s attempt to dominate the policy agenda this summer backfired yesterday with a speech laced with gaffes and factual errors. John Prescott’s attempt to dominate the policy agenda this summer backfired yesterday with a speech laced with gaffes and factual errors.
The Deputy Prime Minister used an address to Labour Party members to attack William Hague, saying the Tory leader’s move to embrace “compassionate conservatism” was a sham intended to disguise a “callous” agenda for cuts to public services.But, in an erratic performance Mr Prescott called a government initiative by the wrong name, mispronounced a Labour MP’s name and did not know the annual increase in the state pension. He referred to the “Cold Fuel Weather Allowance” instead of the “Winter Fuel Allowance”, called Joan Ryan, MP for Enfield North, Joy and said the increase in the state pension amounted to 78p, instead of 75p.Addressing the meeting in Enfield Southgate, where Michael Portillo was ousted in the 1997 general election, Mr Prescott falsely said Stephen Twigg, the Labour MP, had won the seat by a majority of 16,000 rather than by 1,433.His performance is the latest of a series of policy gaffes. Mr Prescott suffered severe embarrassment last year when he stood in for Tony Blair during Prime Minister’s Questions and did not seem to know what the contentious European Union withholding tax was.He had another setback when he made an emergency statement to the Commons during the Kosovo crisis and had difficulty pronouncing President Milosevic’s name.The Tories seized on Mr Prescott’s latest speech.

Michael Ancram, chairman, said: “He should get back to his day job as the Government’s chief carpet-fitter, and Tony Blair should have him carpeted when he gets back from holiday.”. The loyalist paramilitary leader Johnny Adair yesterday insisted, in the face of widespread scepticism, that a small explosion in north Belfast represented an IRA attempt to assassinate him. The loyalist paramilitary leader Johnny Adair yesterday insisted, in the face of widespread scepticism, that a small explosion in north Belfast represented an IRA attempt to assassinate him.
But the security forces and republicans, who for once were of the same mind, both doubted that this was the case partly because the device, a crude pipe-bomb, is very much a weapon favoured by loyalists and not used by republicans.The incident, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, resulted in damage to the windscreen of a car. Johnny Adair, regarded as local leader of the Ulster Defence Association, said he was inside the vehicle at the time.According to Mr Adair: “I was sitting in a car minding my own business when someone threw a blast bomb at me They came from behind, like cowards, as they always do. There is no doubt in my mind that it was the Provisional IRA.”He said republicans had used a loyalist-style device because they did not want it to be traced back to them.Gerry Kelly of Sinn Fein said he found this account “highly dubious.” Mr Kelly claimed this and other incidents were about securing “the UDA’s drug base,” adding: “The suspicion is that this is a very specific area of north and west Belfast, although it’s starting to spread now.

We know on the ground that the UDA and UFF in this area are very heavily involved in drugs and I suspect very strongly that it’s more to do with that.”. The people of Omagh sadly and quietly remembered their dead yesterday, gathering in the town centre for a low-key service in memory of the 29 killed by a bomb there exactly two years ago. The people of Omagh sadly and quietly remembered their dead yesterday, gathering in the town centre for a low-key service in memory of the 29 killed by a bomb there exactly two years ago.
The County Tyrone town came to a standstill as church bells tolled and then stilled for a minute’s silence at 3.09 pm, when a carbomb planted by the so-called Real IRA exploded in a street crowded with shoppers.The service was attended not just by locals but also by relatives of the dead who came from further afield, from other parts of Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and from Spain.Relatives of the victims are bracing themselves for next month’s opening of the inquests into the 29 deaths, which may produce unwelcome details of the circumstances.The Real IRA is still active. Last week 500lb of explosives, apparently planned for use in an attack in the city of Londonderry, were recovered by the security forces.Many relatives are upset by the fact that, despite the introduction of strong new laws in both parts of Ireland in the wake of the Omagh bomb, no one has been convicted of an offence in relation to it Only one man has been charged in the Republic.

The RUC is carrying out a review of the huge investigation into the bombing, and has not ruled out the bringing of charges.In a joint statement Tony Blair and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, left open the possibility of prosecutions, declaring: “Despite intensive investigation on both sides of the border that has been a model of co-operation between the RUC and the Gardai, it remains a matter of regret that there have not yet been more charges.”Justice demands that all those responsible for the horror that was Omagh are brought before the courts and to that end we call on anyone with fresh information about the atrocity to come forward.”The father of a schoolboy killed in the bombing said he was saddened that the Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, had refused to appeal for help in tracing those responsible. Victor Barker, whose son James killed, said relatives of the dead believed there were people in the republican community who could help convict the bombers. “It’s sad that the reaction of Mr Adams, when asked to make an appeal himself, was that he had no faith in the British system of justice in Northern Ireland and in particular in the RUC.”Kevin Skelton, whose wife of 20 years, Philomena, died in the atrocity and whose daughters, Paula, Tracey and Shauna were injured, believes the service said: “I think there is a sense in Omagh that it is time for the town to move on and for people to get on with their lives. However, with the inquest only around the corner, the next few weeks are not going to be easy. People are going to learn a lot more about the circumstances of their loved ones’ deaths.”.