§ 13. Mr. Kevan Jones (North Durham) (Lab)What measures his Department has introduced to promote security in the UK area of operations in Iraq. [143780]
§ The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)United Kingdom forces continue to provide an effective security capability in Iraq. Recent operations against smuggling, for example, have been a considerable success and were widely welcomed by the Iraqi people. Our forces are also closely engaged in developing Iraq's own security capabilities, so that Iraqis can increasingly take responsibility for their own security. Already, more than 10,500 Iraqi police are on patrol in the multinational division, south-east, and more are being trained. Other Iraqi security personnel are guarding vital infrastructure, key facilities and the coastline.
§ Mr. JonesAlthough yesterday's announcement of the capture of Saddam Hussein was widely welcomed, it is recognised that attacks on coalition forces will continue. Many of those attacks will be organised by groups and individuals from outside Iraq. Can my right hon. Friend assure us that the utmost is being done to prevent those individuals from entering Iraq, and that British personnel in southern Iraq have the equipment that they need to protect themselves against such attacks?
§ Mr. HoonI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his observations. Certainly, a vital part of the training for Iraqi security forces is the development of a dedicated border police force—some 5,500 are now trained for that purpose. Their job is vital, as my right hon. Friend the Minister said. It is also important that we receive effective co-operation from the countries that neighbour Iraq—indeed, we are continuing to press them for assistance.
As far as equipment is concerned, I assure my hon. Friend that our forces are given the right equipment.
§ Hugh Bayley (City of York) (Lab)What impact has the withdrawal from Iraq of UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations had on the post-war reconstruction and development of the country? What conversations has my right hon. Friend had with the UN and other organisations about the security situation and when it will allow them to return?
§ Mr. HoonNot all non-governmental organisations have completely withdrawn from Iraq. Indeed, we continue to have conversations with the organisations and their representatives on the ground to try to ensure 1314 their safety and security sufficiently to allow them to return to Iraq to do the valuable work necessary for the rebuilding of the country. We have always regarded this as a partnership involving, first and foremost, the Iraqi people, the coalition forces who provide security, and, crucially, the non-governmental organisations, which play a vital role in reconstruction in any peacekeeping operation. Therefore, we want to see them back in Iraq and working flat out to create the conditions in which the Iraqis can assume responsibility for their own affairs.
§ 14. Mr. Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) (Lab)What impact operations in Iraq have had on the future requirement for equipment. [143781]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)Operation Telic reinforced the requirement to be able to deploy and to sustain armed forces equipped and trained for both war fighting and peace support operations. Operations in Iraq have also demonstrated the importance of integrated joint capability. Those trends are reflected in the White Paper published last week.
§ Mr. HavardI would like to ask my right hon. Friend two questions about future technology and proven technology. First, stand-off weapons, particularly precision guided munitions, seem to have been successful in Operation Telic. What is being done to build them into future programmes for development? Secondly, in relation to force protection, I was surprised to learn that there were no dedicated medical evacuation helicopters at work in Iraq. I would like such proven technologies to be available to protect troops, particularly in the golden hour following any injuries, and to be built into any future requirements.
§ Mr. IngramMy hon. Friend raises two important points. While we look to the future, however, we must remember the impact of the present. We have recognised the importance of precision guided munitions for some time, and the planning and assessment relating to them were reflected in last week's White Paper. He rightly pointed to the successful use of weapons such as Paveway and Storm Shadow in the Iraq campaign, and we shall continue to make the acquisition of weapons of that capability a priority in our equipment programme.
In terms of force protection, we have consistently said—not just during the present conflict but in a number of recent ones—that we are increasingly working in coalition with our allies. The issue applies across a range of equipment capability. Some countries have a specialist ability to put into areas of conflict, as well as into peacekeeping operations, a range of capabilities, including field hospitals, nuclear, biological and chemical regiments, and explosive ordnance disposal regiments. Increasingly, our relationship is developing in that way. Doing things on our own is unlikely to be the way of the future. We shall always do things on a combined basis, probably with the Americans but with other nations as well. Iraq shows just how closely we are working with nations other than the United States.
§ Patrick Mercer (Newark) (Con)I am grateful to the Minister for outlining the future equipment requirement. 1315 Anyone who has been in a war understands that the logistics will always have hiccups and that the details will not always be right, but will he assure us that there will not be a repeat of the experience of my constituent who told me the other day that he went into battle without ammunition for his rifle? Will the Minister assure me that that will never happen again?
§ Mr. IngramI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his general point. He correctly recognises that the logistics even of small-scale conflicts can sometimes go wrong, for a variety of reasons. We have to put in place a comprehensive and intensive analysis of the lessons learned, so that we can avoid those difficulties recurring. I would be grateful if he wrote to me on the specific issue that he raised, and I shall try to get him a more specific answer on it. I am concerned, as he is, about the nature of that matter, but I need to know more about it before I can answer his question.