§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the places where British troops are serving abroad and whether they can(a) receive radio and (b) obtain newspapers; and if he will make a statement. [89605]
§ Dr. MoonieInformation on the location of British forces serving abroad can be found in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 6, "Global Location of Service Personnel", a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library. This is published quarterly, the latest edition is as at 1 October 2002.
Availability of British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio and/or television broadcasts depends upon a number of factors including host nation acceptance (including the provision of suitable broadcast frequencies where necessary), practicality and affordability; and is currently available in the following locations:
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Location TV Radio North West Europe Belgium No Yes Germany Yes Yes Netherlands No Yes Rest of World Garrisons/Units Ascension Island Yes Yes Belize Yes Yes Brunei No Yes
Location TV Radio Canada (BATUS) Yes1 Yes Canada (Goose Bay) Yes No Cyprus Yes Yes Falkland Islands Yes Yes Gibraltar Yes Yes Italy (Naples) Yes No Deployed Operational Theatres Afghanistan Yes Yes Bosnia/Kosovo Yes Yes Greece (Sindos Camp) Yes No Kuwait Yes Yes Oman (Thumrait) Yes Yes Saudi Arabia Yes Yes Turkey Yes Yes HM Ships 1,2Yes 2No 1 Recorded VHS tapes 2 Some larger ships are able to receive live satellite TV/Radio, others can receive when in port. Trials are being conducted on the practicality of providing BFBS to other HM ships via the "SCOT" broadcast system. Newspapers are supplied to HM Forces under a contract with Higgs International Ltd. to the following overseas countries/locations.
Country Location Abu Dhabi — Afghanistan Kabul Belize — Bosnia Various Brunei — Canada Suffield; Wainwright; Ottawa; Goose Bay Croatia — Cyprus Akrotiri; Dhekelia and Ayios Nikolaos Falkland Islands — Germany Various Italy Naples and Valencia Kenya — Kosovo — Kuwait — Macedonia — Nepal — Norway Stavanger and Reitan Saudi Arabia Riyadh Sierra Leone — Turkey Incirlik USA Norfolk, Virginia Most personnel serving abroad, be they in permanent garrisons, training unit or liaison/exchange posts etc. will receive a Local Overseas Allowance (LOA) which is a compensatory, non-taxable allowance encompassing a wide range of factors including the ability to access English language radio, television and newspapers.
Personnel deployed away from their normal place of duty on operation or exercise, in excess of two months, are provided with an Operational Welfare Package (OWP). The key elements of the OWP include 20 minutes of publicly funded telephone calls per week, internet access, mail, newspapers, books and where practical the provision of BFBS television and radio.