Gulf Crisis (Hansard, 31 January 1991)

§ Mr. Graham
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service men and women serving in the Gulf war will be provided with the opportunity to make free telephone calls.

§ Mr. Temple-Morris
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the introduction of a system of free telephone calls, limited in number and duration, to the United Kingdom or elsewhere, for service men in the Gulf; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today announced that the Ministry of Defence is introducing a concession on telephone calls equivalent to £10 a month for all service personnel in the Gulf.

§ Mr. Steinberg
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider methods of subsidising the postage costs of sending food parcels from the families of those forces serving in the Gulf to the troops in the Gulf; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Forces' concessionary rates for parcel post to service personnel in the Gulf have been available since September 1990.
Under this economy service, parcels are carried at the United Kingdom inland postage rates, which represent a significant saving over the rates for the Post Office's airmail service. Economy service parcels are being carried to the Gulf by RAF aircraft.

§ Mr. Cohen
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has made for the repatriation or local burial of United Kingdom troops killed in the Gulf conflict; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
We will arrange for temporary local burial close to the battlefield. Once fighting has ceased the next-of-kin will be offered the option of having the body brought back to this country, wherever that is practical. Appropriate religious services will be arranged in accordance with the wishes of the next-of-kin. For those636W who die at sea, the decision on whether bodies should be taken ashore for later repatriation or buried at sea remains, as is traditional, with the commander of the vessel in the light of operational circumstances.

§ Mr. Tony Banks
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present estimated accumulated cost of the British presence in the Gulf arising from the invasion of Kuwait.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 30 January at column558.

§ Mr. Speller
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he intends to take to enable medical practitioners who have volunteered for RAMC service in the Gulf to obtain personal insurance from private firms or through the Army PAX scheme at non-inflated rates.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
It is for individual insurance companies and underwriters to set premium levels in the light of the risks they are accepting. Personal insurance arrangements are, of course, a matter for the individual. The Ministry of Defence is, however, in contact with the insurance industry in order to ensure that new cover remains available to service personnel and that premiums remain as low as possible. We are also able to put personnel into contact with brokers who are experienced in meeting service needs. Where personnel are required to pay increased premiums for life insurance or the life element of personal accident insurance as a result of service, or liability for service, in the Gulf, the Ministry of Defence will meet 90 per cent. of the additional cost up to certain limits. These arrangements apply to reserve personnel who are called out as well as regulars. In addition, called-out reservists are eligible for the same generous attributable benefits of the armed forces pension scheme as are regular personnel.