§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further investigations his Department has undertaken into the(a) reasons and (b) those responsible for the flakjackets missing since 1999; what conclusions he has reached; and if he will make a statement. [173318]
§ Mr. IngramI have assumed that my hon. Friend has in mind the National Audit Office Report on Operation Telic, which reported that approximately 200,000 sets of Enhanced Combat Body Armour had been issued since the Kosovo campaign in 1999, but seemed to have disappeared.
I should explain that the figure quoted in the NAO report was an estimate provided for the NAO inquiry of the equivalent number of sets of body armour that would have been issued since 1999. However, the body armour ensemble is not usually issued as a complete set. Instead, units request the number of components required to make up the sets they need (covers, fillers and ceramic plates). The fillers and covers are accounted for as items of consumable stock and are, therefore, usually disposed of locally when they wear out, 666W although items may be returned to stock and re-issued if undamaged. Due to their value, the plates, when surplus to unit requirements and serviceable, are returned to stock for re-issue as the need arises.
In light of the concern raised about the supply of body armour, the Defence Logistics Organisation conducted an audit of Enhanced Combat Body Armour The audit has provided a picture of our current holdings. It shows that current stock holdings account for 66 per cent. of the total number of Enhanced Combat Body Armour components procured since 1992. The remainder will have been consumed over this period as a result of wear and tear, and operational loss.