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1 Sep 2009 : Column 1794W—continued

Ammunition expenditure is shown for the whole of Afghanistan, rather than just Helmand Province as the information is collated centrally for UK forces in Afghanistan. The data include all training rounds used and all variants of each ammunition type. They are collated by each HERRICK roulement, at the end of which the data are finalised for records.

All data shown above is data based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the number of shots fired by UK armed forces in Helmand province since 2006. [273309]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Officials are collating and validating the data needed and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will write to the right hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of shots fired by the armed forces in Helmand province in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007; and how many shots were fired in the latest period for which figures are available. [249208]

Mr. Hutton: Officials are collating and validating the data needed and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition were fired by UK armed forces in Afghanistan in 2007-08. [235233]

Mr. Hutton: Officials are collating and validating the data needed to answer this question and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will therefore write to the hon. Members when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Michael Ancram:

I am writing to provide you with the information promised in mine and my predecessor's holding replies to your Parliamentary Questions regarding ammunition expenditure in Afghanistan on 11 February 2009 (Official Report, cols 1992-1993W), 11 May 2009 (Official Report, col 605W) and 26 November 2008 (Official Report, col 1518W).

The Ministry of Defence has recently completed a review of the data on ammunition usage required to answer this question, and has revised the manner in which we classify and present data to ensure consistency. The table below shows all ammunition expenditure for UK forces in Afghanistan from the beginning of retained records (August 2006) to the end of Operation HERRICK 9 (October 2008 - April 2009), in April of this year.

You will note that, unfortunately, this review has resulted in corrections to the ammunition figures previously issued for the HERRICK 6 (April 2007 - October 2007) and HERRICK 7 (October 2007 - April 2008) roulements. These figures have been found to be incorrect due inconsistency of tour dates taken, inconsistency of inclusion of training rounds and a failure to include all variations of ammunition in all cases.

1 Sep 2009 : Column 1795W

1 Sep 2009 : Column 1796W

Type	HERRICK 4 (13 August 2006 -October 2006)( 1)	HERRICK 5 (October 2006 -April 2007)	HERRICK 6 (April 2007 -October 2007)	HERRICK 7 (October 2007 - April 2008)	HERRICK 8 (1 April 2008 -October 2008)	HERRICK 9 (October 2008 -April 2009)
7.62mm all variants	210,000	520,000	1,300,000	1,380,000	700,000	908,400
5.56mm all variants	235,000	615,000	1,490,000	1,390,000	1,000,000	1,080,000
0.5 inch all variants	25,000	90,000	200,000	180,000	113,000	196,000
12.7mm all variants	2,400	350	4,800	21,000	13,000	10,600
9mm all variants	10,000	69,000	30,000	69,000	71,700	61,400
0.338 inch all variants	200	1,700	5,600	7,300	8,200	12,100
12 bore shotgun all variants	5	45	660	15,100	300	525
105mm all variants	8,600	4,300	12,100	12,400	5,600	11,200
30mm armd fighting veh rounds	1,200	5,000	3,600	2,800	745	4,500
30mm Attack helicopter rounds	29,800	21,000	27,800	15,700	34,400	34,200
(1) Accounting records exist only from 13 August 2006 - mid HERRICK 4 Notes: All tour dates are taken from the Transfer of Authority from one Brigade to the next. All figures rounded to nearest 10,000, 1000 or 100.

Ammunition expenditure is shown for the whole of Afghanistan, rather than just Helmand Province as the information is collated centrally for UK forces in Afghanistan. The data include all training rounds used and all variants of each ammunition type. They are collated by each HERRICK roulement, at the end of which the data are finalised for records.

All data shown above are data based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment.

I hope that the above information addresses your concerns on this matter.

I will place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received reports of Taliban forces seeking to acquire ground-to-air missiles. [288197]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding this information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

We constantly monitor the threats faced by our personnel in Afghanistan and ensure that we take all possible steps to respond to these threats as they evolve.

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has assessed the potential effectiveness of infrared surveillance capabilities used by the police for deployment for military purposes in Afghanistan. [288691]

Mr. Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) undertakes a wide-ranging research programme supporting the needs of our troops on current and future operations. As part of continuing successful coalition operations, the MOD is currently discussing infrared surveillance with several parties including the Metropolitan Police Service.

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009, Official Report, column 899W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, how many British troops were required to serve in the Regional Command South Headquarters between May 2007 and February 2008. [289094]

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 July 2009, Official Report, column 264W.

Air Force: Military Bases

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned on the relative merits of RAF bases (a) in the UK (b) overseas in the last three years. [288607]

Bill Rammell: The number and operation of RAF bases both in the UK and overseas is constantly under review to ensure that the best use is made of the Defence estate for our armed forces. The outcome of this work is reflected in the Defence Estate Development Plan 2009, which can be found at the following link:

http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/publications/dedp.php

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints Modern Housing Solutions received in each area in each month in 2008. [289138]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The requested information for 2008 is provided in the following table:

1 Sep 2009 : Column 1797W

1 Sep 2009 : Column 1798W

Month	Region	Number of complaints
January	East	39
	London	120
	North	37
	South East	116
	South West	105
	West	33
	Total for month	450
February	East	44
	London	114
	North	41
	South East	101
	South West	101
	West	25
	Total for month	426
March	East	37
	London	98
	North	30
	South East	108
	South West	91
	West	18
	Total for month	382
April	East	63
	London	121
	North	29
	South East	102
	South West	88
	West	25
	Total for month	428
May	East	49
	London	113
	North	29
	South East	106
	South West	85
	West	15
	Total for month	397
June	East	48
	London	110
	North	21
	South East	84
	South West	102
	West	14
	Total for month	379
July	East	38
	London	152
	North	24
	South East	124
	South West	88
	West	32
	Total for month	458
August	East	31
	London	129
	North	30
	South East	104
	South West	71
	West	33
	Total for month	398
September	East	53
	London	150
	North	27
	South East	119
	South West	96
	West	34
	Total for month	479
October	East	56
	London	154
	North	45
	South East	135
	South West	83
	West	36
	Total for month	509
November	East	53
	London	112
	North	22
	South East	103
	South West	92
	West	25
	Total for month	407
December	East	44
	London	128
	North	18
	South East	90
	South West	78
	West	32
	Total for month	390

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