Written question asked by Gerald Howarth (Conservative) on Thursday, 16 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 February 2006. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 27 February 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Departmental Spending

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's total spending has been on the development of improvised explosive devices defeating technology, broken down by project.

Answer: Protecting the United Kingdom forces against the threat posed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is a very high priority and we are constantly seeking to adapt our training, tactics and procedures and to develop our equipment capability to ensure that the risk to which our troops are exposed is minimised. Investment in technology to defeat IEDs is ongoing; however, it is not departmental policy to comment on the development of counter-IED capabilities as this may prejudice operational security.

Secondary information