Vol. 474 No. 6
290 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Defence the number of subsistence claims made by military personnel in relation to the BSE operation; the amount paid to date; the sanctioning authority for the payment of such allowances; the number of claims disallowed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3641/97]
Defence Force regulations provide for the payment of subsistence allowance to military personnel in respect of those occasions where they perform duties away from their stations and are not provided with meals. This does not arise frequently, however, as there is a comprehensive catering system in place in the Defence Forces, in which there has been heavy investment, to cope with feeding troops in the field. Claims for subsistence allowance must be certified by the officer commanding the claimant's unit. Separate records are not maintained by my Department in respect of subsistence allowance payable for BSE-related operations and, regrettably therefore, the precise details sought by the Deputy are not available.
