To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008, Official Report, column 64W, on armed forces: peacekeeping operations, whether the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is involved with the analysis of member states' (a) training capacities and (b) training needs, to assess the potential added value of multi-national initiatives; and what co-ordination NATO will have in conjunction with the European Defence Agency on this issue. (210911)

NATO is fully involved in this work. The initial survey and analysis of Allies' helicopter capabilities was conducted by NATO, including at an expert workshop at NATO HQ. The survey and workshop identified insufficient and inadequate training as a main factor limiting the number of deployable helicopters. NATO and the European Defence Agency are co-ordinating their efforts to remedy these shortfalls through the EU NATO Capability Group.