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16 July 2008 : Column 441W—continued
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are limitations on the quantity of fuel which can be transported by each of the military lorries operating in Afghanistan. [218584]
Des Browne: There are no Afghanistan-specific limitations placed on the quantity of fuel which the current in-service fuel tankers can transport when operating in that theatre.
Armed Forces: Food
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational ration packs his Department has purchased in each of the last five years. [218128]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In the last five years the MOD has purchased 9.8 million 24 Hr Operational Ration Packs.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) content and (b) (i) nutritional and (ii) calorific value is of an operational ration pack. [218129]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The General Purpose (GP) 24 Hr Operational Ration Packs (ORP) consists of 10 menus containing meat. In addition there are Sikh/Hindu, Halal and Vegetarian variants each of which has five menus. Each individual menu contains a hot breakfast, snack lunch and hot meal as well as common items such as oatmeal blocks, fruit and brown biscuits, chocolate, boiled sweets, yeast extract, coffee and tea sachets, sugar and whitener, Tabasco sauce, chewing gum, waterproof matches, purification tablets and tissues. All ORP variants also contain an isotonic lemon or orange drink, hot chocolate powder and a dessert such as chocolate sponge pudding. The meals are packed into foil pouches, are menu specific and can be eaten hot or cold.
Nutritionally, the 24 Hr ORP provides a soldier with the necessary balanced diet to sustain him/her for 24 hours. Each menu in the 24 Hr ORP is measured against this and meets the required values as shown:
| Gm | Percentage daily energy intake | |
The ORP is designed for use in a temperate climate for which the recommended calorific intake in adult males and females aged 19-50 is 3,600 kcals, and currently contains a calorific range between 3,660-4,200 kcals, depending on the chosen menu.
Data relating to the recently launched multi climate ration due for introduction next year are not yet available; each menu is currently being analysed by a state registered dietician at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.
Armed Forces: Scotland
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown by region of the (a) number and (b) cost of properties rented as substitute service family accommodation and substitute single living accommodation in (i) Scotland and (ii) Northern Ireland. [218438]
Derek Twigg: Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) and Substitute Single Service Accommodation (SSSA) are not used in Northern Ireland. Details of SSFA and SSSA rented in Scotland, as at July 2008, are given in the following table:
| Location | Number of SSSA | £ per calendar month | Number of SSFA | £ per calendar month |
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