DFID offers decompression support to staff both during and after a period of duty overseas in accordance with best practice developed through close co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

DFID follows standard tour and rotation lengths in line with other UK Government Departments in the British embassy.

[holding answer 10 July 2013]: In financial year (FY) 2012-13 MOD spent £7 million on operations to support the French-led intervention in Mali from funds that were allocated to the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP). Our Main Supply Estimate for FY 2013-14 requested £25 million for the DMAP, to be matched by a further £25 million from HM Treasury. The contributions of each Department in future years have not been fixed, and may change from year to year in response to changes in operational requirements.

[holding answer 10 July 2013]: In financial year (FY) 2012-13 MOD spent £7 million on operations to support the French-led intervention in Mali from funds that were allocated to the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP). Our Main Supply Estimate for FY 2013-14 requested £25 million for the DMAP, to be matched by a further £25 million from HM Treasury. The contributions of each Department in future years have not been fixed, and may change from year to year in response to changes in operational requirements.

The Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) was established in financial year (FY) 2012-13 as an additional funding mechanism to offer greater flexibility in the early stages of military operations. It is funded and administered jointly by the Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury (HMT) within the broader governance structure of the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which is being established following the conclusion of Spending Round 2013. The funding of the DMAP is split 50/50 with HMT and allows us to carry out early preparations ahead of any formal operations.

The Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) was established in financial year (FY) 2012-13 as an additional funding mechanism to offer greater flexibility in the early stages of military operations. It is funded and administered jointly by the Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury (HMT) within the broader governance structure of the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which is being established following the conclusion of Spending Round 2013. The funding of the DMAP is split 50/50 with HMT and allows us to carry out early preparations ahead of any formal operations.

The Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) was established in financial year (FY) 2012-13 as an additional funding mechanism to offer greater flexibility in the early stages of military operations. It is funded and administered jointly by the Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury (HMT) within the broader governance structure of the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which is being established following the conclusion of Spending Round 2013. The funding of the DMAP is split 50/50 with HMT and allows us to carry out early preparations ahead of any formal operations.

The Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) was established in financial year (FY) 2012-13 as an additional funding mechanism to offer greater flexibility in the early stages of military operations. It is funded and administered jointly by the Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury (HMT) within the broader governance structure of the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which is being established following the conclusion of Spending Round 2013. The funding of the DMAP is split 50/50 with HMT and allows us to carry out early preparations ahead of any formal operations.

The United Kingdom has Defence Attachés in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Posts in the Philippines and Thailand were closed in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The Defence section in China was expanded from two Attaché posts to three in 2006, and there were reductions in Malaysia (from two posts to one in 2007) and Korea (from two posts to one in 2008). In the course of the next 12 months, reflecting the Government's network shift to Asia, we plan to reinstate the post in Thailand and also to establish resident Attaché coverage in Burma and Vietnam.

In support of our commitment to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore we maintain a small Naval facility at Sembawang in Singapore and contribute to the staff of the Integrated Area Defence System Headquarters (HQ IADS) at Butterworth in Malaysia. Staff at Sembawang total one Commander Royal Navy (who also serves as assistant Defence Attaché), one Chief Petty Officer, one Petty officer and three Ministry of Defence civil servants. This has remained constant for the last 10 years. Our contribution to HQ IADS over the period has remained constant at one Wing Commander, one Squadron Leader, one Lieutenant Commander, one Major and one other rank.

We maintain a garrison in Brunei. From 2003 to 2013 the number of Garrison Support Troops has remained broadly constant, varying between 100 and 130. These figures include seven Flight Army Air Corps, Training Team Brunei and the Theatre Support Troops.

Between 2003 and 2013 the Resident Infantry Battalion garrisoned in Brunei has reduced from a high of about 830 to the current level of 648. Since 2003 there have been four deployments from the garrison to Afghanistan of up to 550 personnel.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has four bases located in UK overseas territories. These are termed permanent joint operating bases and consist of British Forces Gibraltar, British Forces Cyprus located within the sovereign base areas, the British Indian Ocean Territory and British Forces South Atlantic Islands based in Falklands Islands and Ascension Island. This reflects the MOD's commitment and responsibility for defence and security of the UK's overseas territories as a standing military task.

The military assets deployed in each of the permanent joint operating bases are presented in the following table:

The Ministry of Defence has no military assets deployed in Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and St Helena Dependencies (Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands or at the Turks and Caicos Islands.

As at 1 January 2013 there were 10,860 regular service personnel based in Scotland. Currently some 1,120 of those personnel based in Scotland are serving outside the UK.

[holding answer 20 December 2012]: The average period between tour completion and the start of the next pre-deployment training is 18 months. This is based on a policy of having 24 months between six-month tours, for which pre-deployment training starts six months previously. This remains unchanged from the policy in place prior to May 2010.

[holding answer 20 December 2012]: The 'Harmony Guidelines' are used by the Army in particular to strike a balance between deployment, training

and time with families. Current policy directs that where possible, an individual service person should not be away from home for more than 415 days in a rolling 30-month period. The 415-day period includes both training for a deployment and undertaking the deployment itself. Furthermore, it is policy for personnel to undertake only one six-month tour in each 24-month period. This principle is also used by the Naval Service and the RAF, but at slight variance to the Army. The Naval Service uses the metric of 660 days away in a rolling 36-month cycle and the RAF uses 280 days in a rolling 24-month period.

Although not common practice there are occasions when personnel can deploy shortly after returning from one six-month deployment so long as they are not in breach of these guidelines. This practice generally only happens when an individual moves to a new unit which is due to deploy or has volunteered to undertake another tour. While this may occur in the Naval Service and Army, the RAF do not permit it. The information on such redeployments in each of the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

[holding answer 20 December 2012]: The 'Harmony Guidelines' are used by the Army in particular to strike a balance between deployment, training

and time with families. Current policy directs that where possible, an individual service person should not be away from home for more than 415 days in a rolling 30-month period. The 415-day period includes both training for a deployment and undertaking the deployment itself. Furthermore, it is policy for personnel to undertake only one six-month tour in each 24-month period. This principle is also used by the Naval Service and the RAF, but at slight variance to the Army. The Naval Service uses the metric of 660 days away in a rolling 36-month cycle and the RAF uses 280 days in a rolling 24-month period.

Although not common practice there are occasions when personnel can deploy shortly after returning from one six-month deployment so long as they are not in breach of these guidelines. This practice generally only happens when an individual moves to a new unit which is due to deploy or has volunteered to undertake another tour. While this may occur in the Naval Service and Army, the RAF do not permit it. The information on such redeployments in each of the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

[holding answer 4 December 2012]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 453W, to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), which details deployment of UK armed forces personnel on United Nations-led missions and operations in support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions in the last five years.

I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 162W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), which details the deployment of UK armed forces personnel on operations alongside other European nations, including EU and NATO operations in the last five years.

I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 October 2012, Official Report, column 657W and the answer I gave on 5 December 2012, Official Report, column 768W, to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood), which details the deployment of UK personnel on Common Foreign and Security Policy or Common Security and Defence Policy operations.

In addition, the table details significant¹ deployments of UK armed forces personnel, on national operations overseas, since 2010:¹ This table does not cover training, exercise and capacity building deployments.

[holding answer 12 July 2012]: Force elements, in both the regular and reserve components will be held at varying levels of readiness dependent on role and training. The exact numbers of reserves required for an operation will depend on its nature and scale.

Best effort operations, non-enduring interventions and the early roules of an enduring intervention are planned to be conducted by the reaction force. On these types of operation it is likely that there will be fewer reserves deployed. This is because a smaller number of reservists will be held at very high readiness and those that are, will likely be individual augmentees supporting regular force elements.

For the stages of an operation provided by the adaptive force, which will be held at an appropriate level of readiness to provide a brigade-sized stabilisation commitment, we expect that reservists will contribute a more significant part of the force structure.

[holding answer 25 June 2012]: To ensure the integrity and security of the UK border, Her Majesty's Government cannot provide details of the number of staff deployed at specific ports or at specific times.

For the total number of Ministry of Defence Police deployed, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 653W.