Written question asked by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 29 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 May 2008. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Monday, 30 June 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place to monitor the adequacy of equipment deployed in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq.

Answer: [holding answer 6 May 2008]: Theatre Equipment Reviews are undertaken on a six monthly basis. They take account of Defence concurrency needs, the theatre context and the specific military tasks required. They identify the relevant equipment and resource needs and make recommendations for the delivery of equipment, including urgent operational requirements. They are linked to Force Level Reviews, to ensure coherence between manpower levels and equipment.The mechanism for reporting complaints about equipment or the spares system is the Equipment Failure Report. These are entered onto the equipment failure reporting system and forwarded to the appropriate Defence Equipment and Support Integrated Project Team for investigation and action.

Secondary information