HC Deb 06 February 1990 vol 166 cc599-600W
53. Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department plays in disaster relief.

111. Mr. Brandon-Bravo

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department plays in disaster relief.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The Ministry of Defence is always willing to respond positively to requests for military assistance in disaster relief at home and abroad. For an account of the part played by the armed forces in disaster relief operations during 1989, I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Stevens) on 24 October 1989 at column430.

With the recent spate of bad weather, all three services have been engaged in a range of military assistance to the civil community tasks. Much effort has been directed at helping electricity boards to clear roads blocked by trees toppled during the gales, mobile generators have been supplied for a variety of purposes and service accommodation has been made available to house the homeless. Should it be needed, military units are standing ready to provide assistance to communities at risk from flooding.