Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facilities are available in the Falkland Islands for the repair of (a) helicopters, (b) ships and (c) aircraft; and on how many occasions military vehicles of each such type have been returned to the UK for repairs which were not capable of being undertaken on those Islands.

Technical equipment and personnel are available in the Falkland Islands to conduct routine maintenance on helicopters, ships and aircraft. On-island records extend only to the last 18 months and in that time no helicopters or ships have been returned to the UK for repairs. Aircraft are rotated on occasion between the Falkland Islands and other MOD locations in order to best utilise the fleet and to conduct complex maintenance.