The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 1st November (WA 10), why they consider the confidential report prepared for BAe Systems to be scientifically acceptable when it has not been peer reviewed or published in a scientific journal. [HL2315]

Lord Davies of Oldham: The work carried out by the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA), Pyestock (now QinetiQ) for BAe Systems was a private research contract not intended for publication in a scientific journal. The issue of peer review therefore does not arise. The Civil Aviation Authority, the principal regulator of civil aviation in the UK, had no reason to doubt the scientific acceptability of the report, written by a research institution that is widely acknowledged as the UK's foremost independent expert in aero-engine technology.

23 November 2005