§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what reports he has received concerning the well-being of Major Andrew Harrison, serving in Sierra Leone, following his involvement with the RUF; what assessment he has made of threats to Major Harrison and the Ghurkha detachment being held hostage by the RUF; and if he will make a statement; [127310]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the (a) UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone and (b) Revolutionary United Front concerning Major Andrew Harrison. [127311]
§ Mr. HoonI receive regular briefings on the situation regarding Major Harrison from civilian and military officials, who are in daily contact with him. I spoke to him myself by telephone on Monday 19 June. He is well and in good spirits, and is well protected by the Indian Gurkha forces at Kailahun. Although, because of the presence of RUF forces, the UN forces there are restricted in their freedom of movement outside the UN compound, they are not hostages and there is currently no direct threat to them or to Major Harrison. Although this is primarily a matter for the UN, we are liaising closely with them in Sierra Leone and New York in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully. I have not had any contact with the RUF.
§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops, and from which regiments, were affected by the failure to supply sufficient quantities of mefloquine in West Africa. [126054]
§ Mr. Hoon[holding answer 15 June 2000]The number of personnel who deployed to West Africa on Operation Palliser without supplies of anti-malarial tablets, and the reasons for this, are currently being investigated by my Department. Supplies of the tablets were readily available and there are no known problems with the supply chain.