Written question asked by Mark Pritchard (Conservative) on Monday, 18 June 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 June 2007. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Wednesday, 27 June 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Peace Keeping Operations: Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with senior members of the armed forces on the operational suitability of combat footwear issued to UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Answer: Following comments from Telic and Herrick in June 2006, alternative boots were provided and sizing advice was offered to units. In addition, a trial to select new commercially available desert boots is due to complete during 2007. This will allow a new boot to be issued to all troops deploying in the autumn and a second alternative boot to be available from early 2008—thus offering some degree of choice. The Department has also initiated a project to introduce a web-based application for the controlled supply of personal clothing to provide service personnel with the ability to order from an online catalogue, with item(s) despatched to an address of choice. This could eventually change the way that items such as boots are provided.

Secondary information