Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 May 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 May 2001. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Friday, 11 May 2001 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 23rd April, Official Report, columns 91-2W, on defence assets, what proportion of total assets (a) are available under the Headline Goal at Helsinki, (b) are available under the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and United Nations and (c) are dedicated to other bodies and standing tasks; if he will list those areas where multiple commitments cannot be maintained; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 April 2001, Official Report, columns 91-92W, on defence assets, what proportion of total assets (a) are available under the Headline Goal at Helsinki, (b) are available under the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and United Nations and (c) are dedicated to other bodies and standing tasks; if he will list those areas where multiple commitments cannot be maintained; and if he will make a statement. [160844] Mr. Hoon: The potential UK contributions to the UN or to the Headline Goal were identified in my previous answer to question 159370. The UK has always made it clear that British forces would be potentially available for operations of all kinds across the crisis spectrum whether under NATO, European Union, UN, OSCE coalition or national auspices. A decision on any particular deployment will be dependent on circumstances at the time, including existing commitments and standing tasks.

Secondary information