§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what types of vehicles are used by the armed forces in connection with NBC defence; and of these, how many are operational. [13283]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 8 November 2001]: There are three types of vehicles currently in use by the armed forces that have a specific NBC defence role. The current vehicle holdings are as follows:
Vehicle type Vehicles held FUCHS NBC survey vehicle 11 Prototype biological detection system (PBDS) 9 Multi-purpose decontamination system (MPDS) 17 There are other, mainly armoured, vehicles that have a defensive NBC capability. Soldiers can operate within these vehicles in a "collective protection" environment thus avoiding exposure to external biological or chemical threats for a set period of time.
I am withholding the information relating to operational availability under exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to government information.