§ 27. Mr. Peter AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the advantages of earmarking troops solely for peacekeeping tasks. [8997]
§ Mr. SoamesRequests for British personnel to participate in peacekeeping are considered case by case in the light of other commitments. Contributions to peacekeeping operations can potentially be drawn from any part of the armed forces, subject to availability. We believe that this approach is preferable to earmarking personnel or formations. The inherent uncertainty of where and how operations will arise makes it very difficult to determine in advance which capabilities will be required. This results in the risk of a mismatch between requirements and earmarked forces. The United Nation's standby force arrangements, which identify capabilities in a large number of member states, provide a more practical and flexible method of identifying forces.