Written question asked by Lord Hanningfield (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Drayson (Labour) on Monday, 30 April 2007.

Armed Forces: Postage

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they estimate that the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) receives in payment for packages and letters sent to British forces personnel in Afghanistan and the Gulf region on a monthly basis; and what are the operating costs of the BFPO to deliver such items to these destinations over the same period.

Answer: The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) does not receive payment for letters and packets sent to HM forces deployed to operational theatres in Afghanistan and the Gulf. The distribution of mail to BFPOs overseas is heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Defence. The net operating cost of the BFPO for the year ended31 March 2006 was £30,235,000. This figure does not include the cost of providing RAF transport, which delivers the majority of BFPO mail to operational theatres and permanent bases by air, or the costs incurred in distributing the mail to the individual addressees in theatre. To attempt to allocate these costs specifically to the mail being handled would involve disproportionate effort. The BFPO does receive a limited contribution from Royal Mail Group (RMG) towards the cost of its UK operations, to reflect the work it does in collecting BFPO mail in bulk from a central RMG sorting office.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3227; 691 c173WA
Session: 2006-07
Subjects: Armed forces Fees and charges Iraq Income Peacekeeping operations Postal services Afghanistan Operating costs British Forces Post Office
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk