§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on reducing the number of (1) fixed wing fighter and ground attack aircraft in operational use by the Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement; [22388]
(2) tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in service with the armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [22318]
§ Mr. IngramWe keep the numbers and types of platforms in use with all three Services under regular review, to ensure that we have the correct mix of capabilities for the range of tasks we are likely to be called upon to undertake.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) tanks, (b) armoured personnel carriers and (c) armoured fighting vehicles have been owned by the Army in each year from 1985 to 2000; and if he will make a statement. [22271]
§ Mr. IngramArmy Equipment Holdings are published within the scope of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Since 1997 these have been set out in an annex to the annual Ministry of Defence Performance Report. For the period 1991 to 1996 this information was published in the Statement of the Defence Estimates (SDE) for each year. Prior to 1991, this information was provided in the SDE but in a different format, based on the force structures at that time. These documents are held in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the(a)number and (b) purpose of the Challenger 2 main battle tanks based in Germany. [22273]
§ Mr. IngramI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 5 December 2001,Official Report, columns 356–57W. Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks provide the backbone of the armoured capability of the Army. Their purpose is the destruction of enemy armour in the contact battle, but they also have a wider utility across the spectrum of conflict, as has been demonstrated in the Balkans.
971W