§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are being taken to ensure that Kenyan civilians are not killed, disabled and injured by unexploded munitions on military training grounds used by the British Army in the central part of Kenya. [23130]
§ Mr. IngramThe British Army takes every precaution to minimise danger to the Kenyan people and follows the same infantry training regulations in Kenya for live firing as it does in the UK. These are laid down in Infantry Training Volume 4, Pamphlet Number 21, and Artillery Training Volume 3, Pamphlet 19. Details of ammunition used are recorded and units are required to submit a 341W certificate to state that the range has been cleared of ammunition fired during that exercise. In addition, we have a continuing programme of activity, which we carry out in conjunction with the Kenyan authorities. This includes the provision of training for Kenyan range staff; the construction of a range control centre; the employment and training of range wardens; and the erection of substantial warning signs on specific areas of the training area. Beyond that, we are also engaged in a continuing information campaign and provide assistance to the Kenyan authorities with range clearance. Our mutual aim is to ensure that the ranges are as safe as they can be.
§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (1) the procedure is for clearing live ammunition from military training grounds in the UK; [23133]
(2) what regulations are in place to govern the clearance of live ammunition from military training grounds; [23131]
(3) what records the British Army keeps during training exercises with live ammunition, of the number of rounds of ammunition fired and the number of unexploded ammunition; and if these records are published. [23134]
§ Mr. IngramThe regulations and procedures for the clearance of live ammunition from military training grounds are laid down in Infantry Training Volume 4, Pamphlet Number 21, and Artillery Training Volume 3, Pamphlet 19. These regulations and procedures are adhered to wherever British forces are required to train with live ammunition, whether in the UK or overseas.
Each unit training on a range or training area is required to clear military debris from the range after live firing or training with pyrotechnics, with details of the ammunition used recorded on a relevant form. In addition, units are required to submit a certificate to state that the range has been cleared.
Any live ammunition that has not been used during training is returned to the ammunition store for use at another time. We aim to recover any ammunition not accounted for during the clearance operation at the end of the training. If there have been misfires —where a round does not fire correctly —or blinds —where a round is fired but does not explode correctly —a qualified individual would destroy the misfire or blind on site.
Joint Service Publication 403 —Defence Land Ranges Safety-Volume 1, Chapter 6 requires that records are kept of all live ammunition firing, the amount of live ammunition fired and the number of misfires or blinds. These records are not made public.