§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he received requests for help in disaster relief in Mozambique; what his response was; and what personnel and equipment have been provided. [112693]
§ Mr. HoonThe Ministry of Defence (MOD) was approached by the Department for International Development (DfID) on Saturday 26 February as to the availability of British military equipment in and around Mozambique. We advised them that there were no military assets in the region. Since then we have been examining, in conjunction with DfID, options for the deployment of MOD personnel and equipment from beyond the immediate area. An MOD team was sent to the region on 29 February to carry out reconnaissance and planning work.
As a result, on Wednesday 1 March we jointly announced a decision to provide four Puma helicopters and around 100 aircrew and support personnel to assist in the immediate rescue operation. We are continuing to work closely with DfID to determine what further help we can provide.