§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the required increase in(a) RAF squadrons and (b) RAF strength to achieve an average deployment on operations for RAF personnel of six months every 30 months based on the RAF's deployed position as at 23 March. [83231]
§ Mr. George Robertson[holding answer 4 May 1999]: The target figure for nights away from home on deployment or detachment is 140 nights in one year, or 280 aggregated over two years in peace-time. This needs to be seen in the context of the likely demands placed on the Royal Air Force over a period of time rather than on the basis of a snapshot on one particular day.