§ Lord Lukeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are any cases where information as to the number required of any type of Army heavy logistic support vehicles derived from analyses of operational requirements would have to be withheld from Parliament for reasons of national security; and, if so, what are the types and reasons. [HL472]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)In the time available it has not been possible to find an instance where we have withheld from Parliament the number of heavy logistic support vehicles for which we have contracted; and I believe that this will be the case for most future procurements. However, there may be instances where, because knowledge of the size of a fleet could be exploited by a potential enemy, it would be necessary to withhold that information under the exemptions set out in the code of practice on access to government information.