§ Lord Vivianasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many calls and of what type have been received in the last month by the BFG Post-Operation TELIC Helpline and the Confidential Support Line operated by the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. [HL3665]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The Post-Op TELIC welfare hotline operated by British Forces Germany is intended to provide a last resort facility for service personnel, based in Germany, who are not able to obtain the support they need through the extensive system of welfare support available to all units. It has received three calls since troops began returning to Germany from the deployment. Two of these related to family relationship difficulties; the third concerned problems resulting from the continued separation of a family.
In order to provide 24-hour coverage, SSAFA provides the same service as part of their confidential support line. While details of calls to SSAFA relating specifically to Op TELIC are not recorded centrally by the MoD, the SSAFA line is currently taking approximately 300 calls per month (compared to an 165WA average of 150 calls per month). The annual report on calls to the SSAFA line is currently being compiled and will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.