§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons no announcement was made in April that faulty plastic baton rounds that had been in use for three years were being withdrawn. [4542]
§ Dr. ReidMy hon. Friend will be aware that these events relate to a previous Administration. I am advised by officials that issues concerning the performance of plastic baton rounds were under consideration between the departments concerned and no decision had then been reached on the form or timing of a public announcement.
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the highest muzzle velocity of the plastic baton rounds recently found to exceed the upper limit in the equipment specification; and what is that upper limit; [4541]
(2) how often stocks of plastic baton rounds in operational use before April 1997 were tested to ensure that muzzle velocities were in line with the equipment specification;. [4538]
(3) what tests were carried out by his Department on the faulty batch of plastic baton rounds supplied in 1994 and recently withdrawn from service;. [4543]
(4) what action is being taken against the manufacturers of the plastic baton rounds issued from early 1994 which have been found to have a muzzle velocity in excess of the upper limit in the equipment specification;. [4540]
(5) how many plastic baton rounds were withdrawn from operational use in April; how they are to be disposed of; who manufactured them; and what is the estimated cost of each round. [4544]
§ Dr. ReidThe highest muzzle velocity of plastic baton rounds recently tested was 76 metres per second; the upper limit specified in the contract is 70 m/s.
All batches of rounds were tested by the Contractor at the time of manufacture to enable the Department to accept them against the proof specification.
266WIn addition to initial Contractor proofing, the following tests were carried out. In 1995 trials were carried out on a number of rounds manufactured in 1994 as a part of the ongoing baton round development programme. Assessment of these initial tests in early 1996 indicated that some of the rounds were going marginally faster than the specified velocity, but the tests were not considered conclusive. Reproofing trials of the 1994 rounds started in April 1997 and the results have yet to be established. Further tests were carried out in 1996 on rounds manufactured in 1996 which indicated that those rounds did not exceed the maximum specified velocity.
The issue of possible action against the manufacturer will be considered when all of the facts have been established.
Approximately 45,000 rounds were withdrawn from service in April 1997; they will be disposed of either by reworking or incineration. I am withholding information about the name of the manufacturer under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The cost of each round is approximately £6.
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the rules for the use of plastic baton rounds by members of the armed forces in Northern Ireland; on how many occasions they have been used by members of the armed forces in Northern Ireland since the batch with and excessive muzzle velocity was supplied in 1994; and if he will list the dates on which and the places where they were used;. [4546]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of plastic baton rounds used by the armed forces in Northern Ireland since the batch with an excessive muzzle velocity was supplied in 1994. [4545]
§ Dr. ReidThe use of force in Northern Ireland is governed by the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 which provides that "A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, or in effecting or assisting the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large". Plastic baton rounds are used by the armed forces in situations of violent disorder where life or property is at risk and their use is judged to be minimum and reasonable force in the circumstances. They must be fired at selected persons and not indiscriminately and should be aimed so they strike the lower part of the body. Soldiers are fully trained in their use.
As at 17 June 1997, a total of 1,424 plastic baton rounds had been used by the armed forces in Northern Ireland since the batch with an excessive muzzle velocity was supplied in May 1994, not all of which were from that batch.
I will write to my hon. Friend with a schedule of the dates and places where these baton rounds have been used, once this has been prepared.