§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that British service 79W personnel are not exposed to organophosphate pesticides when on operations in the Middle East. [88056]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 19 December 2002]: The use of pesticides remains an essential component of force protection against the threat of insect borne disease. It is the policy of the Department only to procure pesticides approved under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 or to seek approval from Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to store items in United Kingdom, for use in overseas locations. Those pesticides are only supplied to and used by trained personnel, who are fully equipped with the appropriate personal protective equipment.