Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days of staff absence there were in the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area Police Anti-Poaching Unit in (a) September and (b) October 2014.

The Dhekelia Sovereign Base Police Anti-Poaching team consists of five full-time officers who work approximately 20 days each per month on countering bird trapping operations. In September and October 2014 there were a total of 32 days of staff absences, comprising annual leave and public holidays. In addition to the 168 days of man hours provided by the Anti-Poaching team in these months, they were assisted by other Sovereign Base Area Police officers who are regularly tasked with duties directly associated with countering bird trapping.