HC Deb 29 January 2003 vol 398 c859W
Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of the deployment of troops and tanks to the Gulf announced on 20 January. [93900]

Mr. Ingram

The information requested is not yet available. When it is, I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Keetch

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which units the personnel in BARTs and RESTs under operation FRESCO are drawn; how many of them are due to be deployed to the Gulf and from which units will personnel be drawn to replace them; and if he will make a statement. [93936]

Mr. Ingram

Breathing Apparatus Rescue Teams (BARTs) and Rescue Equipment Support Teams (RESTs) have been assembled by withdrawing individuals from almost every unit of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Recognising the important contribution the teams have played during the national firefighters dispute, every effort is made to preserve the capability of BARTs and RESTs. Recently, six RAF and 124 Royal Navy personnel have been withdrawn from Operation FRESCO as a direct consequence of deployments to the Gulf. During the course of the industrial action, the Ministry of Defence has maintained a programme of replacing personnel who needed to be withdrawn for various reasons, including the Gulf deployment, in order to ensure that the overall fire and rescue capability remains broadly constant. As this is a rolling programme, there is no direct correlation between those personnel stood down from Operation FRESCO due to their deployment to the Gulf and those personnel (or their parent units) from across the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy being trained as replacements.