§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
In how many and in which overseas locations British troops are now deployed on active service and how many have been given nerve agent pretreatment sets in combination in multiple inoculations against anthrax and other diseases. [HL1799]
§ Lord BachBritish troops are deployed on active service in 16 countries and Dependent Territories in the Balkans, the Middle East, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Georgia, the United States of America, Africa and Asia, as well as at sea. Nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets are held in theatre where we assess there is a potential threat from chemical agents but are issued only when that chemical agent threat is assessed to be immediate. This has not so far proven necessary and so no British troops on active service have been given NAPS tablets as part of current operations.
As for anyone travelling overseas, military personnel deploying abroad are offered appropriate immunisation against disease. The offer of immunisation, including for anthrax, takes full account of any treatment or medication an individual might be receiving at the same time.