Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual revenue costs of the joint logistics support base and regional land training hub at Duqm, Oman for each of the next five years.

I am withholding this information as it would, or would be likely to, prejudice our relations with another State.

The UK will continue to invest into Duqm to provide the UK with a Joint Logistic Support Base and Regional Training and Logistic Hub in Oman. Its location is strategically useful for the UK and facilitates maritime basing east of Suez but outside of the Gulf. The port was used to support the delivery of Ex SAIF SAREEA 3-the UK's largest joint exercise since 2001-which tested our ability to conduct a strategic deployment to the Middle East and to underpin one of the UK's bilateral strategic partnerships.