Taunton Deane MP Jeremy Browne has met with Taunton-based UK Hydrographic Office chief executive Mike Robinson, to discuss the organisation’s importance to the local economy.
Mr Browne was given an undertaking recently by the Ministry of Defence that the UKHO will not be sold off as part of wider savings in the MoD.
Mr Browne said: “UKHO is a world class producer of navigational charts.
“I was reassured recently by the Defence Secretary that it would not be sold off and this was reiterated in my meeting with the UKHO’s chief executive.
“There may be some specific functions that are contracted out but the Hydrographic Office as a whole should not be sold.
“I am also delighted that the success of the service means that staff levels at the UKHO remain over 1,000 despite previous projections that anticipated a lower figure.”
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