§ 137. Mr. Andrew MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the role of the services in disaster relief over the past year.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThere have been a number of instances in the past year, both at home and abroad, where the armed forces provided emergency assistance to the civil authorities in disaster relief.
In the United Kingdom, very extensive assistance was provided in the aftermath of the tragic air crash at Lockerbie in December 1988, and help was also provided following the air crash at Kegworth in January 1989.
672WIn addition, RAF fixed and rotary-wing aircraft arid Royal Navy ships and rotary-wing aircraft assisted in many rescue and recovery operations, including the Piper Alpha and Ocean Odyssey oil rig disasters.
Abroad, the Royal Navy were first on the scene to provide effective relief in the wake of hurricane Gilbert in Jamaica in September. The RAF flew in much needed supplies, and the Army spent three weeks on the island carrying out repairs to buildings and services.
After the severe earthquake in Nepal in August, the British military hospital at Dharan treated over 700 Nepalese casualties, carrying out over 300 operations; additional medical personnel and medical supplies were also flown in.
Following the damage which Cyclone Uma caused to roads and bridges in Vanuatu in 1987, a team of Royal Engineers has been carrying out a reconstruction programme.
Most recently, after the earthquake in Armenia in December, the Ministry of Defence supplied over 70,000 ration packs as part of Her Majesty's Government's £5 million relief package. Medical supplies were provided to the Red Cross, and the Army provided specialised microphones to detect people under the wreckage.