To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's military training exercises has (a) been cancelled and (b) been cancelled because of a lack of appropriate equipment in each year since 2001. (276550)

The armed forces conduct a wide variety of overseas military exercises each year. All overseas exercises are conducted in order to generate, or maintain military capability in line with the tasks outlined in Defence Strategic Guidance. On occasion, exercises are cancelled for reasons that include effectiveness of delivery; value for money constraints; international policy dimensions and circumstances; changed priorities; operational constraints; and focus on current operations. The proportion of MOD exercises cancelled since 2003 is in the following table.

Since 2003, there have been no exercises cancelled due to a lack of appropriate equipment.

Details of the exercises cancelled prior to 2003 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.