§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights have been made since January 1992 by aircraft of the Royal Air Force in pursuance of humanitarian purposes; and how many aircrew have been involved in this activity.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonSince 1 January 1992, the RAF has flown over 770 sorties to provide humanitarian aid in Bosnia, Somalia, the Bahamas and Guatemala. In addition, four sorties were flown to evacuate British and other nationals from Angola and Palestinian deportees from Israel; and 10 sorties were mounted to assist with fire fighting in the Lebanon. Also, the RAF has so far mounted over 3,000 sorties in support of the air exclusion zones in northern and southern Iraq and over 500 sorties in support of the various military operations in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. These operations have involved a significant number of aircrew, but precise details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.