§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the specification is of fuel tankers used by(a) the Army and (b) the other armed services; how this differs from the specification of commercial fuel tankers in use in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [136061]
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§ Mr. SpellarThe armed forces currently use three sizes of bulk fuel tanker (12,000 litre, 22,500 litre and 32,000 litre). The 32,000 litre fuel tanker is commercially based and has a similar specification to modern commercial fuel tankers. It employs commercial standard safety systems, is fully compliant with "Accord European relatif au transport des Marchandises Dangerous par Route (ADR) Directive" requirements and approved for use under the petroleum industry's Safe Loading Pass Scheme (SLPS). The 22,500 litre and 12,000 litre fuel tankers are older; they are not fully compliant with ADR regulations as they were constructed to specifications reflecting Carriage of Dangerous Goods (CDG) regulations in force at the time of manufacture.
In general terms, the specification of military tankers is enhanced to optimise them for military use. Military tankers differ from commercial tankers in the numbers of filling and discharge points; they are fitted with an integral pump to permit cross-loading and kerbside refueling of convoys and tend to be tougher in construction.
§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are qualified to drive commercial fuel tankers of the type in use in the UK; how many were qualified to do so on 1 January; how many are undergoing training which would enable them to drive such commercial fuel tankers; and if he will make a statement. [136060]
§ Mr. SpellarSome 300 service personnel are qualified to drive commercial fuel tankers—the figure is the same for 1 January—of which 180 could be made available for this purpose. Around 900 additional drivers are currently being trained to drive commercial tankers.