§ Mr. Geraint DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are currently serving in Bosnia as part of the Stabilisation Force. [11851]
§ Dr. ReidSome 5,300 UK troops are currently serving in the Former Yugoslavia as part of SFOR. Around 3,600 are based in Bosnia and a further 1,700 in Croatia. These figures exclude routine short term fluctuations in numbers as units arrive and depart from theatre.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the additional costs to his Department's budget of IFOR and Operation Decisive Edge; and how much additional funding was received from the reserve towards these costs. [14025]
§ Dr. ReidUp to the end of the 1996–97 Financial Year, the additional cost to the Defence budget of the United Kingdom's military contribution to the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) was £243 million and £19 million for the supporting air operation under Operation Decisive Edge. Based on Number 1996 forecasts of £244 million, additional funding of £244 million was provided from the Reserve. The Ministry of Defence continues to incur follow on costs from the UK contribution to IFOR. Estimates of these costs are currently being updated and a statement will be made to the House in due course.