§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of(a) preparing tanks for desert conditions, (b) enhancing medical support to improve hygiene conditions in field hospitals, (c) speeding up the purchase of temporary disposable accommodation, (d) improving military ambulances, (e) extra training in service and (f) communications and call up of reservists, in the event of war with Iraq. [84133]
§ Mr. HoonI am withholding the information requested under Exemption 1 (defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about(a) preparations for and (b) the sustainability of a Royal Naval task force for possible operations against Iraq. [84361]
§ Mr. HoonExercise Saif Sareea II, in Oman towards the end of last year, fully demonstrated our ability to deploy forces to the Middle East and sustain them there. As I have already assured the House, we shall continue to take the appropriate steps to ensure that our armed forces are ready to take whatever action might be asked of them should Iraq fail to comply with UN Resolution 1441. It would be inappropriate to comment on the detail of any specific preparations at this stage.