§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what accommodation is available for air crews deployed on Operation Veritas and based at Muscat; how many(a) aircrew and (b) personnel may be accommodated in one tent (i) on exercise and (ii) on operations; how long each aircrew's shift is; how much sleep each aircrew gets 54W between shifts; if an aircrew on different shifts may be accommodated in the same tent; if accommodation at Muscat accords with Group Air Staff Order GASO 9072; and if crews are accommodated in local hotels (A) at his Department's expense and (B) at their own expense. [24374]
§ Mr. IngramAircrews deployed to the region on Operation Veritas are accommodated in two types of air-conditioned tent. On exercises, the normal occupancy of the first type of tent is up to 24 aircrew, on Operation Veritas the number is under 20. The second type of tent, which is slightly smaller, can accommodate up to 14 aircrew on exercises but on Operation Veritas the occupancy is 10 or lower. During unit handovers numbers have been exceeded for short periods.
Non-aircrew are mainly accommodated in the smaller tents without air conditioning. Where possible non-aircrew on night duty, who need to sleep in the heat of the day, are accommodated in the large air-conditioned tents.
The length of aircrews' shifts varies according to the type of aircraft and sortie flown. The length of time between shifts can also vary but is not usually less than 10 hours. Aircrew on different shifts may be accommodated in the same tent but silence is enforced around tents when personnel are asleep. Deployed personnel are not accommodated in hotels except for those who have been in theatre for over four months and are entitled to a period of publicly funded rest and recuperation.
It is recognised that the living conditions for many of our personnel deployed to the middle east on Operation Veritas are challenging but they are in accordance with operational standards for accommodation. UK forces have successfully risen to this challenge and made a major contribution to the Coalition effort over Afghanistan. However, plans are in place to upgrade the living conditions of all RAF personnel on Operation Veritas by March.