To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the operational capacity of the joint UN-AU force for Darfur of its lack of key equipment pledged for the mission; and what discussions he has had with his UN Security Council counterparts on the supply of that equipment.

There remain significant shortfalls in the deployment of equipment for the joint UN-African Union Hybrid Mission for Darfur (UNAMID) which limits the effectiveness of the force. There is still no pledge for either light or utility helicopters. This remains the single greatest shortfall, with six helicopters required for each of the three sectors. We continue to work closely with the UN and potential contributors, including in the UN Security Council, and call on all parties to facilitate the full and rapid deployment of UNAMID.