To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of (a) 5.56, (b) 7.62 and (c) .5 calibre ammunition were fired in each of the last six months by British troops in Afghanistan. (209613)

Between December 2007 and May 2008 inclusive, British troops in Afghanistan used some 980,000 rounds of 5.56 mm calibre, 930,000 rounds of 7.62 mm calibre, and 186,000 rounds of 12.72 mm calibre, also known as .5, 0.50, or 50 calibre.

This is broken down for use by month in the following table, rounded to the nearest thousand:

These data includes rounds used in training, as well as operational usage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008, Official Report, column 662W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, for what reasons his Department changed supplier for civilian air transport for the International Security Assistance Force in southern Afghanistan from the Mesopotamia Group to Skylink. (210642)

The civilian logistic aviation support contract for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is managed by NATO. It was a NATO decision to change contractors.