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Macedonia
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about arrangements for the sending and receipt of personal mail by Her Majesty's forces deployed in Macedonia. [77494]
Mr. Doug Henderson: Mail to and from Macedonia and the UK is conveyed six days a week Monday to Friday and Sunday from London Heathrow to Skopje via Vienna and return.
Mail to and from Macedonia and British Forces in Germany is conveyed five days a week Tuesday to Friday and Sunday outbound and Monday to Friday inbound from Dusseldorf to Skopje via Vienna.
On both routes the mail is moved by commercial airline as this provides a quick, sustainable and reliable service. This core service is supplemented by RAF flights whenever they are flying to Macedonia and have space available for mail. Additional civilian routings are also being investigated.
The current transmission time to Macedonia is four to five days from the UK and two to three days from Germany. Once the mail has arrived at Skopje, individual units collect and distribute the mail to their service personnel.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army personnel are (a) currently deployed in Macedonia and (b) planned to be deployed in Macedonia; and whether notice has been given to TA units and personnel of intention to deploy them. [77491]
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Mr. Doug Henderson:
Ten personnel from the Territorial Army are currently deployed in Macedonia, and it is planned to deploy a further six on 22 March. At this stage general notice has not been given to TA units of an intention to deploy them to Macedonia. Individual members are being identified for particular posts as the requirement arises. If there is a requirement for further TA personnel a general trawl will be conducted, as was the case for Bosnia.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what units of the Defence Medical Services will be deployed in support of operations in Macedonia. [77492]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
In addition to medical personnel deployed as part of formed units, a number of specialist medical elements have been deployed to Macedonia on Operation "Agricola" with the main contribution being from 2 Armoured Field Ambulance which is supported by a surgical team and a small detachment of RAF medical personnel. Other specialist medical personnel from the three Services fill a variety of posts as part of the existing NATO Extraction Force, Kosovo Verification Co-ordination Centre, the Kosovo Verification Mission and UK headquarters staff.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Internet and e-mail facilities will be available for the personal and welfare use of British forces deployed in Macedonia. [77493]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Internet facilities are not normally provided for personal and welfare purposes on operations. The main means of communication from theatre to home are letter and telephone, both of which are funded or subsidised by the MOD. In other operational theatres, where there is a demand, units have installed and maintained Internet terminals on their own initiative from non-public unit funds.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the (a) current and (b) planned entitlement for welfare telephone calls for personnel deployed in Macedonia; and whether such calls will be available through his Department's satellite links or commercial contractors. [77495]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Service personnel, where operationally feasible, are permitted a weekly 10-minute private call home at public expense while on operations. This concession currently applies to all ground forces in Macedonia (and also supporting elements in Greece). Where possible, calls are made using the Macedonian commercial PTT system. In some locations, where this is not available, arrangements are in hand for civilian contractors to provide a service. In cases where neither option exists, troops are permitted to use the military communications network to make weekly private calls home.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the supply of bottled mineral water to British troops in Macedonia; and if he will make a statement. [77496]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The majority of our forces deployed in Macedonia obtain their drinking water from local sources which have been assessed as safe to drink either by local Government laboratories or the in-theatre Royal Army Medical Corps Environmental Health
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Officer. For those personnel in specific locations where local water sources are suspect, bottled water is provided. The bottled water supplied to British troops is either potable drinking water or still bottled water. It is not classed as "mineral" water.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of British troops in Macedonia are currently accommodated (a) under canvas and (b) in CORIMEC 20 foot equivalent units and (c) in other shelters; and if he will make a statement. [77497]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Approximately 20 per cent. of the British troops currently deployed in Macedonia are accommodated under canvas, less than 1 per cent. in CORIMEC-type units and the remainder in other accommodation.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many 20 foot equivalent CORIMEC accommodation units are (a) in place in Macedonia, (b) in transit to Macedonia and (c) on order for use by (i) the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and (ii) other British forces. [77498]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
No such accommodation units are currently in place, in transit or on order for use by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps or other British Forces in Macedonia. However, accommodation will be provided, as necessary, in relation to the size of any force and the timing of its deployment.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to ensure that "Just in Time" supply chain logistics support for military operations works effectively. [74661]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 4 March 1999]: "Just in Time" logistics is one of a range of supply management techniques which are being examined by a study team reporting to the Chief of Defence Logistics. Whilst there may be some scope for broadening the existing selective application of "Just in Time" logistics in the defence sector, the degree to which this is achievable would be dependent on the nature of military operations which need to be supported.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the following Territorial Army units are classified as infantry units (a) Bn HQ RRW, (b) RHQ Tpt Regiment, (c) RHQ 104 Regt RA and (d) Bn HQ, Wales. [77535]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 18 March 1999]: Of the units listed, only the Battalion headquarters, Royal Regiment of Wales (Bn HQ RRW) is an infantry unit. This will be replaced by the Battalion headquarters for the new TA infantry battalion for Wales (Bn HQ Wales) in the new structure.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the (a) current and (b) planned future locations, including counties, of the following TA headquarters (a) Bn HQ RRW, (b) RHQ Tpt Regiment, (c) RHQ 104 Regt RA and (d) Bn HQ, Wales. [77534]
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Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 18 March 1999]: The Battalion headquarters, Royal Regiment of Wales (Bn HQ RRW) is currently located in Cardiff, Glamorgan. It will not exist in the new TA structure, but will be replaced int he same location by the Battalion headquarters of the new TA infantry battalion for Wales (Bn HQ Wales). The Regimental headquarters of 155 Transport Regiment (RHQ Tpt Regt) is currently located in Cardiff, Glamorgan, and will remain there in the new structure. The Regimental headquarters of 104 Regiment Royal Artillery (RHQ 104 Regt) is currently located in Newport, Gwent, and will also remain there in the new structure.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many questions he has answered from the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) since 1 January; and at what cost to his Department's budget. [77483]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Since 1 January 1999, our records show that 287 questions have been tabled to my Department by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) of which 240 have been answered to date. The cost to my Department's budget of answering individual Parliamentary Questions is not held centrally, however, the advisory cost limit of answering a Parliamentary Question is £500; therefore answering this number of questions may have cost some £120,000.
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