asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has of the number of ambulances and of qualified ambulance drivers now serving in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

There are approximately 1,000 Service ambulances in the United Kingdom. Over half of these are regu- larly employed on Service medical duties. The remainder are either held in depots for various operational commitments or are unsuitable for immediate civil use. No special qualification is required to drive a Service ambulance.