Written question asked by Chris Ruane (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 May 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 June 2004. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 7 June 2004 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strength was of UK armed forces in Belize in each of the last 25 years. - Including fact that the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Answer: Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength was of UK armed forces in Belize in each of the last 25 years. [175241] Mr. Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The United Kingdom garrison in Belize was withdrawn in 1994. From the early 1980s until reductions in advance of withdrawal in the early 1990s, the garrison comprised a full battalion group with an element of RAF support, numbering in total an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 military personnel. In 1994, the garrison was replaced by the much smaller British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB). BATSUB currently has around 70 permanent military staff. In addition, many hundreds of personnel pass through BATSUB for short periods of training each year.

Secondary information