§ Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British wounded have been brought back from Iraq since United Kingdom military action began in March. [132206]
§ Mr. IngramSince the beginning of the decisive combat operations in Iraq on 19 March 2003 and as at 14 November 2003, 145 United Kingdom military personnel have been wounded in action, of whom 74 needed to be brought back to the UK for medical treatment.
§ Norman LambTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the success of measures taken to avoid using cluster munitions near civilian areas in Iraq. [135854]
§ Mr. IngramWe made every effort to minimise the impact on the Iraqi population of the coalition's military action. Cluster munitions were employed against Iraqi armoured formations in the open and on the periphery of built up areas.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received of former regime arms dumps within the British area of responsibility in Iraq; and what measures are being put in place to guard former regime arms dumps within the British area of responsibility. [134457]
§ Mr. IngramSince the end of major combat operations United Kingdom forces have discovered an average of about 45 new sites containing arms and/or 753W munitions each week. The large amount of arms present in Iraq means that where arms are discovered we cannot always tell whether they were left by the former regime or by other organisations or individuals. All sites containing arms or munitions are marked and then cleared once resources permit. Sites containing large numbers of arms are guarded by UK forces until they can be cleared.
§ Norman LambTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of priority given to(a) avoiding civilian casualties and (b) ensuring the security of British troops in respect of unexploded ordnance clearance in Iraq. [135855]
§ Mr. IngramThe provision of a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of reconstruction activity for all members of the International Coalition in Iraq. The United Kingdom takes seriously its obligations as a member of that coalition to deal with unexploded ordnance.
We afford a high priority to avoiding any injury or casualty from unexploded ordnance. Clearance operations are performed by specialists to minimise the chances of accidents occurring.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) gun and (b) bomb attacks there were on British troops in the provinces of (i) Basra City and (c) Maysan, broken down by type of incident and weapons used since 1 May, indicating in each case how many (A) British troops and (B) Iraqi civilians were (1) killed and (2) injured in each incident; and if he will make a statement. [136604]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 10 November 2003]: Many of the following figures have been compiled under operational conditions and may therefore be subject to future refinement and revision. Figures were not collected before 1 June.
Between 1 June and 17 October 2003 (the date of the last update) there were 108 deliberate attacks on coalition forces in the United Kingdom led Multi-National Division South East MND(SE) area of operations.
In the same period there were 101 contact incidents (in which coalition forces have been caught up in tribal feuding or attempted crimes but were not the object of the attack) in Basrah Province and 23 contact incidents in Maysan Province. 88 of these contact incidents involved British Forces.
Five incidents (including one outside the MND(SE) area) resulted in the deaths of British personnel as follows:
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Date Casualties Nature of incident Firears or Bomb 24 June 6 Killed Ambush of Royal Military Police patrol in Al Majir Al Kabir.
Firearms 14 August 1 Killed Roadside improvised explosive, device detonated as military
ambulance drove by. Basrah.
Bomb 23 August 3 Killed Ambush of RMP in Basrah. Firearms 27 August 1 Killed Ambush in Basrah. Firearms 31 October 1 Killed Ambush in Baghdad. Firearms 23 British soldiers have been injured in these attacks, 10 with gunshot wounds and 13 with other types of injury.
We have no reliable figures on Iraqi casualties as collection is virtually impossible: enemy forces frequently remove their casualties from the scene or seek to blame the coalition for casualties they could not possibly have caused. Of those incidents notified to British forces there are currently 22 Special Investigation Branch Investigations involving 17 deaths of and a number of injuries to Iraqis allegedly caused by British personnel.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqis are being interned by the British forces because they are perceived to be a threat to coalition forces; how long each such person has been held; what plans the British authorities in Basra have for such people; and if he will make a statement. [136606]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 10 November 2003]: As at 13 November, there were 125 Iraqis being interned by the British Forces because they were considered to be a threat to Coalition Forces. The maximum length of time that any person has been held is just under six months; the least one week. Every 28 days, a review is conducted to determine whether continued internment is necessary. Procedures are in place to allow internees to appeal against their continued internment. Individuals will continue to be held until such time as they are no longer considered a threat to Coalition Forces.
§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means UK forces in Iraq have sought to confirm whether civilian fatalities have occurred during incidents involving the use of firearms and other lethal force by UK military personnel since the end of the conflict. [136923]
§ Mr. IngramUK forces in Iraq seek to confirm whether civilian fatalities have occurred during incidents involving the use of firearms and other lethal force by UN military personnel since the end of the conflict by the use of appropriate policing techniques as the operational situation allows.
§ Mr. SoamesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq. [139376]
§ Mr. IngramIraq continues to make progress and is broadly stable. The majority of incidents occur around Baghdad. Throughout the country increasing numbers of Iraqi police are on patrol, reconstruction of essential services and infrastructure continues and most of the population go about their daily lives without hindrance.
Attacks such as that on the Italian headquarters in Nasiriyah are the work of a violent few. Innocent Iraqi civilians have died in these attacks: they are as much victims of the terrorists as coalition forces.
Coalition forces and the Iraqi police are working hard to provide a safe and secure environment. They will not be deflected from that mission.
§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are being taken to fit British military vehicles in Iraq with vehicle protection kits. [139615]
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§ Mr. IngramFollowing public disorder events in Iraq during August, a requirement was identified to fit Vehicle Protection Kits (VPK) to a range of Combat Support Vehicles. Delivery to theatre began in mid August and should be completed by the end of February 2004.
In addition, the requirement to equip battlefield engineering and plant vehicles deployed to Iraq with VPKs is currently being assessed.
§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost is per day, per person, of the food provided to British security personnel in Iraq. [129997]
§ Mr. IngramThe Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of Operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs, which the MOD would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.
The cost of food is not identified separately, but is contained within stock consumption, along with ammunition, clothing and vehicle and equipment spares for example. Costs are not incurred on a regular daily basis and force levels have fluctuated considerably. As a result, to attempt to provide monthly average costs would be misleading.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rotation schedule is expected for troops in Iraq. [130279]
§ Mr. IngramThe majority of United Kingdom military units deployed to Iraq undertake tours of either four or six months depending on the role they perform. This can be varied according to operational requirements. There is also some variation in cases of individual personnel who may be required to deploy for longer or short periods.