§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are involved in landmine destruction, indicating the countries in which they are deployed. [132701]
677W
§ Mr. SpellarBritish Service personnel are not currently involved in landmine destruction per se. But they do provide technical expertise, management and specialist skills to support mine action programmes worldwide. As at 1 July, personnel were deployed as follows:
- As Senior Technical Adviser to the UN Mine Action Co-ordination Centre in Kosovo.
- As Senior Technical Adviser to the UN Mine Action Centre in Bosnia.
- As a Staff Officer within the Humanitarian Demining Training Centre at the US Army's Engineer School.
- As Head of Technical Unit at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
Additionally, in Bosnia, as part of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR), UK military personnel are involved in the co-ordination and monitoring of mine clearance; emergency disposal of mines and unexploded ordnance as required; and mine awareness training. Similar work is undertaken in Kosovo. We also maintain an Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachment in the Falkland Islands.