The Gulf (Hansard, 30 November 1990)

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nature of the training assistance provided by the German Government in relation to the Gulf crisis.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Assistance provided by the German Government has included the greater use of training facilities and equipment training.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make it his policy to provide information to the House on the outcome of his discussions with other Governments regarding contributions to the cost of the deployment of British forces to the Gulf.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The extent to which this information can be made available depends on a number of factors, including the wishes of the Governments concerned and operational considerations.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he made use of the Baltic Exchange to charter merchant shipping for the transportation of military forces to the Gulf.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Yes.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which countries he is discussing the provision of assistance for the deployment of British forces to the Gulf region.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
We are continuing to discuss possible support for our deployments with our host nations in the Gulf, our allies in the Western European Union and a number of other countries.
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Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Governments have provided training assistance for British forces deployed in the Gulf region.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
British forces deploying to the Gulf region have carried out extensive training alongside forces from other countries contributing to the multinational effort. Practical assistance has been provided in particular by Germany, from where the majority of units in 1st (British) armoured division have been drawn, and Saudi Arabia, where they are now based.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has regarding the costs incurred by foreign Governments of chartering merchant shipping for the transportation of military forces to the Gulf region.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
We have been given some information on a confidential basis about the costs incurred by the United States.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the response of British shipowners to the need for merchant shipping to transport British forces to the Gulf.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Two British lines have to date offered merchant shipping for this purpose.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he took to satisfy himself that the merchant shipping chartered for transporting British forces to the Gulf was hired at a rate commensurate with the specific requirements of such a task.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Merchant shipping is chartered for the Ministry of Defence by professional ship brokers who are contracted to obtain the best possible value for taxpayers' money.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what co-ordination has taken place with other Governments in chartering merchant shipping for the transportation of military forces to the Gulf.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
None has been necessary.

§ Mr. Home Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many telephones are currently available for the use of British service men in the Gulf area; and if he has any plans to improve the availability of such communications to enable those service men to keep in contact with their families.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Service personnel in the Gulf have access to the local civilian telephone network. Proposals to establish a welfare telephone link between the Gulf and the United Kingdom and Germany, including the provision of dedicated phones for service use, are under urgent consideration.

§ Mr. Home Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to improve communications with British service men in the Gulf area by providing a broadcasting service for them.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill) on 27 November 1990 at column376.