To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sniffer dogs are deployed in Afghanistan to detect ordnance; and what impact the climate has had on their effectiveness. [HL5394]

The Theatre Military Working Dog Support Unit in Afghanistan currently has a number of arms explosive search dogs and vehicle search dogs in theatre. Both are able to detect a wide variety of explosives and ordnance, but for reasons of operational security we do not comment on precise numbers.

All military working dogs undergo comprehensive training before their deployment and continuation training whilst deployed. In addition, dogs undergo a period of acclimatisation on arrival in theatre, during which time they are extensively tested to ensure that they are fully operationally effective.