To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the (a) Army, (b) air force and (c) Navy was on operational duty at the start of each month since April 2001. [113250]

Data on personnel deployed on operations and other Military Tasks is collected on a quarterly basis as part of the Ministry of Defence's performance management process. Percentage figures for each quarter since April 2001 are shown as follows. These figures do not include personnel preparing for operations, recovering from operations or engaged in training. Information for the last quarter of 2002–03 is still in the course of compilation and the figures are provisional.