§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his answer of 14 November, Official Report, column 259, he will reconsider the proposed date for the general issue of body armour to service personnel.
§ Mr. LeeNo. The situation has not materially changed since my hon. Friend's answer on 14 November 1985.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has of lives saved of United Kingdom 379W service personnel, on internal security duties within Northern Ireland, from the wearing of flak jackets made of woven synthetic fibre; how many such jackets have been purchased for use by British service personnel in each of the last three years; and if he will name the firms responsible for the manufacture of such jackets and the value of contracts placed with such firms.
§ Mr. LeeStatistical evidence in the form requested is not available. The purpose of the "flak jacket" is to protect the soldier from the smaller flying fragments of exploding ordnance. It has never been claimed that this garment will stop directly aimed high velocity bullets or large exploding fragments. It has not been necessary to purchase any flak jackets in the last three years. We do not normally disclose the values or other details of Ministry of Defence contracts with supplier firms.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the protection offered to service personnel serving in Northern Ireland from the improved Northern Ireland body armour; why he is not planning to issue such body armour to Army personnel for general use before 1989; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeWe are most encouraged by the performance of Improved Northern Ireland Body Armour (INIBA). However, there is a marked weight penalty for the wearer which makes INIBA unsuitable for general combat use. We are therefore working on a new form of combat body armour to supersede the "flak jacket"; this will better protect against flying fragments in a combat situation while affording the soldier greater mobility because the garment will be lighter and more comfortable to wear. Following trials, we still hope to introduce this protective garment in 1989.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name the firms which have been responsible in the past three years for manufacturing and making up flak jackets for his Department.