12.11 In coordination with Defence Reform, the Department has undertaken several other strands of work aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its enabling functions. We believe it is particularly important that the Department follows through on the work to identify how to strengthen the authority of the corporate process owner for security, whose remit covers some 10,000 staff, so as to ensure the most cost-effective use of security manpower across Defence; and on the work to determine the simplest and most cost-effective way of organising and managing the Department's 9,000 or so 'administrative support' staff.
12.12 We also support the Department's intention to create a new Defence Safety Authority (DSA) to cover all non-airworthiness areas, which would respond to the need following the Haddon-Cave report for a clearer and simpler corporate safety system, themes which resonate with us. In keeping with these principles, it appears logical in due course that the DSA and the Military Aviation Authority (which covers airworthiness) should be merged.
12.13 Finally, we endorse the findings of a review of the role of science and technology commissioned under Defence Reform, which concluded that such advice has a very important part to play in supporting acquisition decisions (and should therefore be factored in to the process from an early enough stage), but should also be used more widely in support of decision-making across Defence.