Afghan conflict costs 'up 39%'
UK army operations in Afghanistan to rise 39 per cent to £964 million in 2007/08, MPs claim
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Wednesday, 05, Dec 2007 12:01
The cost of UK army operations in Afghanistan will rise 39 per cent to £964 million for the financial year 2007/08, MPs have forecast.
But the House of Commons defence committee says this increase is not surprising; attributing it to a boost in British troops and a "high operational tempo".
The committee also claims that costs in Iraq will rise two per cent to £955 million over the same period, despite a withdrawal of UK forces.
Its members have questioned why military personnel costs in the Middle Eastern state are forecast to fall by just five per cent, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) contends: "The impact of the reduction in military personnel costs in Iraq will not be fully recognised until the 2008/09 financial year."
The MoD explains that capital expenditure in the two conflict zones is £348 million higher than expected due to investment in new equipment, force protection and facilities at Basra airport.
A spokesperson said that this would ensure UK forces were "trained, equipped and supported to meet the specific threats and environments of particular operational theatres".
"It is difficult to forecast costs in fast moving operational circumstances, so the MoD submits two operational costs estimates throughout the year to ensure that figures presented to parliament are taut and realistic," the representative continued, adding that a breakdown of costs could not be provided due to "clear operational security reasons".
The defence committee is itself urging the House of Commons to approve the MoD's anticipated request for additional funding to ensure that British troops are properly resourced.
"Few people will object to the investment made this year in better facilities and equipment for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," said its chairman James Arbuthnot.
"The money spent on better-protected fighting vehicles is particularly welcome," he added.
"But a lot of public money is being spent on these operations, and the MoD needs to provide better information about what it is all being spent on.
"The government should not take parliament's agreement to its spending plans for granted."
In addition to the MoD's core defence budget, the total departmental expenditure limit of which was set at £33 billion in 2007/08, £6.6 billion of extra funding has been provided by the Treasury since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.