§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation his Department has made of the quality of the desert boots and uniforms supplied for the war in Iraq; what representations he has received about the quality of desert boots and uniforms; and if he will make a statement.[120866]
§ Mr. IngramThe desert boots and uniforms procured under Urgent Operational Requirement procedures for the war in Iraq had been tested, subjected to 'consumer' trials, and procured to a high quality and reliability standard.
I am aware that there have been numerous unofficial and, as yet, unsubstantiated comments about the robustness of desert combat clothing issued to the United Kingdom armed forces serving on operations in Iraq. To date, we have had no reports through the official defect reporting system of any sub-standard items.