Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what tasks he has assigned to reserve forces to assist the civil powers in emergencies.

Mike Penning, Minister of State for the Armed Forces: The Ministry of Defence assigns the most appropriate personnel from across the Armed Forces when support from the civil authorities is requested, including reserve forces. As set out in the Reserves White Paper we have widened the opportunity for Reservists to contribute on both civil and military operations. For example, Defence deployed Reservists during the 2015-2016 flood response in support of the police and within the command and control network.

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