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Armed Forces: Parcels

Volume 503: debated on Wednesday 6 January 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many delays there were in the delivery of parcels to British troops in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Germany in each month of 2009. (307358)

We have not identified any major issues with the delivery of HM forces mail to Afghanistan during 2009. Delivery of mail to Afghanistan and movement around theatre is affected by a number of factors, including the availability of transport assets, the security situation, and a higher priority being given to essential supplies such as ammunition and food. It is therefore possible that some delays may occur either before post enters the British forces post office (BFPO) system or during transit to, or within, theatre but detailed and reliable information on this is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

All mail, including parcels, that arrive in BFPO London are processed within 24 hours so there is no delay in any parcels being dispatched to Germany.