To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specialist training in the immediate management of traumatic injuries and Major Incident Medical Management and Support medical officers on the Army's Entry Officer course receive. (200945)

All Army medical officers undergo the post graduate medical officers course which is delivered by the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine. It includes a full major incident medical management and support course, followed by an examination which has to be passed. The remainder of the course covers a broad range of topics specific to military medicine, with a specific focus on time at general duties. All military medical officers also undertake four months accident and emergency experience during training.

Those students notified for deployment on operations within three months of the course end, undertake the battlefield advanced trauma life support course. Those scheduled to deploy at a later date undertake this training from within their units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Role 1 medical officers deployed on operations had received refresher training in the management of trauma at the latest date for which figures are available. (200946)

100 per cent. in all three services as of 21 April 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of pre-deployment training personnel are required to complete before deployment to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. (201028)

There is a mandatory ‘pre-deployment course’, which is run separately by each service and is followed up by role-specific orientation training in theatre. Represented in days, the mandatory course duration is as follows:

Pre-deployment courses differ between the services due to differing roles undertaken and theatre specific relevance of other training undertaken. Pre-deployment training is very much longer than these service specific pre-deployment courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training personnel serving in the Queen's Colour Squadron received prior to their deployment to Afghanistan in spring 2008. (201029)

The Queen's Colour Squadron is not currently committed to squadron-level operations in Afghanistan. However, a small number of its personnel have been deployed on force-protection duties there since last October. Prior to their deployment, personnel undertook an intensive training package designed specifically for their role in Afghanistan. The package included briefings, practical training and an intensive series of live firing exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training in Arctic flying conditions was provided to armed forces helicopter pilots in 2007. (201136)

Arctic flying training for armed forces helicopter pilots takes place on an annual basis at the Joint Helicopter Command Clockwork facility at Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Bardufoss, which provides ground and air training for all rotary wing and support units. The flying syllabus covers day and night flying sorties, mountain flying and other sorties pertinent to aircraft type and role.

For the winter training period of 2007, the units receiving this training were:

elements of the Commando Helicopter Force,

elements of 33 Squadron Royal Air Force and

elements of 4 Regiment Army Air Corps.