:00:12. > :00:33.Two American companies are going to manage the MOD's annual budget which
:00:34. > :00:39.will pay for everything from forklift trucks to nuclear
:00:40. > :00:45.submarines. The unions fear it could lead to senior managers losing their
:00:46. > :00:49.jobs. More than 10,000 people work here buying military equipment for
:00:50. > :00:53.the MOD. Now, two American companies are being brought in to oversee
:00:54. > :00:57.their work. The Government says it wants the billions of pounds spent
:00:58. > :01:00.on ships and weapons to be done more efficiently. The Union which
:01:01. > :01:05.represents scientists and engineers at Abbey Wood says it is concerned
:01:06. > :01:12.about what this will mean for the workforce. There are fears
:01:13. > :01:17.throughout about what the important of a senior management tier for the
:01:18. > :01:23.organisation might mean. That has implications for members. They might
:01:24. > :01:30.find themselves replaced. It also has invitations for others. It
:01:31. > :01:35.potentially cuts of career development opportunities. Under the
:01:36. > :01:41.contract, the US company, Bette Chell, will look after the RAF and
:01:42. > :01:50.Navy while CH2M Hill will look after army procurement. `` Bechtel. There
:01:51. > :01:54.has been criticism of contracts coming in late and massively over
:01:55. > :01:59.budget. The American companies are said to want to bring up to 200 of
:02:00. > :02:04.their own experts to manage the MOD contracts. It is a staggering
:02:05. > :02:09.decision taken by somebody, God knows who, I've only learned about
:02:10. > :02:17.in the last 12 hours, like many people... I think it poses a huge
:02:18. > :02:22.number of questions. Not only is it a question of who and why, also how
:02:23. > :02:28.many of the staff at Abbey Wood will be affected further down the line?
:02:29. > :02:33.The MOD had earlier declined to be interviewed and told us that nobody
:02:34. > :02:40.at Abbey Wood is in danger of losing their jobs, saying the 200 jobs are
:02:41. > :02:41.additional staff. They said no decision has been yet made as to who
:02:42. > :02:46.will be awarded the contracts. Detectives in Bristol have released
:02:47. > :02:50.CCTV footage of a man they'd like to speak to in connection with a sexual
:02:51. > :02:52.assault. A 20`year`old woman was attacked in the early hours of
:02:53. > :02:55.Sunday morning near Park Row. Officers want anyone who was in the
:02:56. > :03:10.area at the time or recognises the The Home Office has taken over an
:03:11. > :03:14.investigation into how illegal immigrants travelled to Somerset on
:03:15. > :03:20.a lorry. The group was discovered earlier this week in Ilminster. The
:03:21. > :03:21.police arrested and bailed a 50 rope man and have handed the case over to
:03:22. > :03:27.the Government to find out more. The Environment
:03:28. > :03:35.Agency's told the BBC its dredging operation on the Somerset Levels is
:03:36. > :03:38.on schedule ` and past the half way mark. It brings reassurance for
:03:39. > :03:41.flood victims ` who want the work finished before the winter.
:03:42. > :03:43.Scott Ellis reports. NEWSREEL: Millions of tons of
:03:44. > :03:45.good earth are being excavated from the river... On the Levels
:03:46. > :03:48.they have been digging for years, but major dredging stopped in the
:03:49. > :03:53.mid`60s. After two years of serious floods `
:03:54. > :03:56.the dredgers are back ` the likes of David Broster shifting
:03:57. > :03:59.600 tons of silt a day from the Tone When they said I was coming here,
:04:00. > :04:06.I was proud to help the community. The Environment Agency says dredging
:04:07. > :04:09.of an 8 km stretch of rivers 80,000 tons of silt has been dug
:04:10. > :04:13.up ` and spread on nearby fields. A ?6 million operation `
:04:14. > :04:19.demanded by flood victims. It is marvellous to see it. We have
:04:20. > :04:23.had 20 years of neglect. To see the silt coming out of the
:04:24. > :04:34.river, I am enjoying every bucket. The dredgers are using computers to
:04:35. > :04:37.return the river to its original shape. The basin will be a third
:04:38. > :04:43.larger. We have been given
:04:44. > :04:46.the 1960s profile and are able to What do you say to someone who says
:04:47. > :04:57.it is not as good as the old days? It will be the same as
:04:58. > :05:01.the old days when we're finished. Before dredging each section `
:05:02. > :05:04.checks are made to protect wildlife It's meant a few surprises
:05:05. > :05:06.for water voles. We have a license to trap them
:05:07. > :05:14.and move them to new areas. They are going to Hampshire
:05:15. > :05:19.and Cornwall. Maintaining the river will cost
:05:20. > :05:21.?100,000 a year in future. No one's sure yet where
:05:22. > :05:52.that money will come from. The South West is becoming a tourist
:05:53. > :05:58.hotspot, with Bath being the most visited city. International visitors
:05:59. > :06:01.to the city spend more and stay longer. That is good for jobs and
:06:02. > :06:04.the economy. The people are very helpful and
:06:05. > :06:07.kind. So, I love it here. It's really nice. There are many
:06:08. > :06:22.picturesque spots. It is beautiful. That's it from us tonight.
:06:23. > :06:27.Newsnight's starting over on Two. Hello, a very good evening to you.
:06:28. > :06:37.We'll see a fair amount of sunshine around during the course of
:06:38. > :06:39.Saturday. Largely dry conditions are expected. It will be decidedly
:06:40. > :06:41.chilly to get Sunday under way. Cloud increasing and eventually
:06:42. > :06:44.bring outbreaks of rain, which will still be with us through the start
:06:45. > :06:49.of Bank Holiday Monday. Thereafter, brighter and blustery, with some
:06:50. > :06:52.showers around. Tonight, temperatures dropping as low as six
:06:53. > :06:56.or seven Celsius in some parts of the countryside. Largely dry
:06:57. > :06:59.tomorrow. Maybe just one or two showers in the far South ` Somerset,
:07:00. > :07:02.Dorset ` elsewhere, dry. That sets the tone through the rest of the
:07:03. > :07:10.day. One or two showers just about clipping the north of
:07:11. > :07:13.Gloucestershire, elsewhere remaining dry into the evening. Thereafter, it
:07:14. > :07:17.will turn chilly overnight into Sunday. Temperatures tomorrow will
:07:18. > :07:20.be lower than today. Sunday will cloud over, leading to an unsettled
:07:21. > :07:37.Holiday Monday. That's it from me. cloudier with outbreaks of rain on
:07:38. > :07:47.Bank Holiday Monday. Good evening. The weekend is upon
:07:48. > :07:52.us. For many, it is an extended weekend w a bank holiday on Monday.
:07:53. > :07:58.The weekend itself not looking too bad weather wieds. A good deal of --
:07:59. > :08:02.weather wise. A good deal of dry weather around. Bank Holiday Monday
:08:03. > :08:05.could see the weather on the turn for some of us. It will be worth
:08:06. > :08:08.keeping up-to-date with the forecast. More on that in a moment.
:08:09. > :08:13.Through tonight, still some showers to come in the east in the next few
:08:14. > :08:17.hours. Many will fizzle out towards the end of the night. Heavier ones
:08:18. > :08:22.across Wales and into the north Midlands. Generally though
:08:23. > :08:26.wide-spread clear skies. The wind lighter. Rural areas seeing
:08:27. > :08:32.temperatures down into single figures. A chilly feel to Saturday
:08:33. > :08:36.first thing. Through the day we will keep the north-westerly breeze over
:08:37. > :08:41.northern Scotland and a few showers here on and off. Elsewhere, we start
:08:42. > :08:46.with heavier showers to north Wales and the north of the Midlands. Most
:08:47. > :08:51.will fade away. Our focus for showers through Saturday afternoon
:08:52. > :08:52.will be across eastern areas. West getting the best of the