Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many urgent operational requirements have been commissioned to date; how many are in progress; what equipment is the subject of each such requirement; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such requirement; and when he expects each requirement in progress to be completed. [11770]

Mr Gerald Howarth MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence: Between 2002-03 and June 2010, some 1,150 Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) were approved, of which some 550 UORs were for operations in Iraq and some 600 for operations in Afghanistan. Some UORs have been subject to re-approvals as requirements have evolved and some will have been provided in both theatres, so a single capability may be counted more than once in these numbers.

Some 290 UORs have been approved and are recorded as having a current financial liability. It would be inappropriate to list details of what equipment may be the subject of each of these UORs as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces. The average cost of UORs approved last financial year (2009-10) was approximately £8 million. UOR timeframes reflect the operational urgency of the requirement, many deliver well within a year of the requirement being identified, 18 months is the maximum planning horizon.