HC Deb 13 February 2004 vol 418 cc44-6W
Paul Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prisoners are being held by coalition forces in Iraq. [145337]

Mr. Ingram

As at 15 February 2004 there are 103 individuals held by UK forces in Iraq. We are not in a position to comment on the number of individuals held by other coalition partners.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the reports of investigations carried out by the Special Investigations Branch into civilian fatalities in Iraq allegedly caused by British forces which have concluded that no further action should be taken. [147698]

Mr. Ingram

Reports of investigations carried out by the Special Investigations Branch will not be published.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many suspected suicides among UK forces in Iraq have been investigated by the Royal Military Police. [148285]

Mr. Ingram

There have been no suspected suicides in Iraq during Operation Telic.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the process is by which the rules of engagement for UK forces in Iraq are(a) agreed and (b) amended. [148290]

Mr. Ingram

Rules of engagement, are drafted by operational staff taking into account the UK's obligations under national and international law and treaties such as the Geneva Protocols. Each rules of engagement profile is subject to approval by the Secretary of State for Defence, who may take farther advice from specialist advisers on any aspect. Requests for amendments are made by operational Commanders and submitted for approval by the Secretary of State in the same way.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Coalition forces in Iraq have common rules of engagement. [148292]

Mr. Ingram

No. Rules of engagement remain a national responsibility governed by the domestic legislation of contributing states as well as by international law. Within that framework, however, Coalition partners liaise closely over rules of engagement, and harmonise them wherever possible.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings with parents of Service personnel killed in the Iraq conflict he has arranged. [150063]

Mr. Hoon

I have had four meetings with the families of individual Service personnel who died on operations in Iraq. I have had one meeting with the families of the six Royal Military Police killed in Majar Al-Kabir. Five of the six families attended.

I also met relatives of those killed at the Operation Telic service of remembrance and reception in October 2003 and during the repatriation ceremonies I attended at Brize Norton in the spring of last year.

Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian contractors were employed under UK command to repair and maintain civil infrastructure in the(a) first 100 days and (b) six months following the end of high intensity military operations in Iraq. [150227]

Mr. Ingram

No civilian contractors engaged in the repair and maintenance of the civil infrastructure in Iraq come under command of the United Kingdom military. However, the majority of projects being funded through the UK military's Quick Impact Project programme (more than 800 projects, valued at over $17 million) have relied, for their success, upon Iraqi contractors and sub-contractors. This is in line with our policy of supporting the use of skilled local labour and the stimulation of legitimate local economic activity wherever possible.

Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment was of the number of Al Hussein ballistic missiles possessed by Iraq prior to the onset of war; how this assessment differed from the assessment of the weapons inspectors; how many of the Al Hussein missiles had their long range capabilities removed prior to the onset of war; how many Al Hussein missiles were used against coalition forces during the war in Iraq; and how many Al Hussein missiles have been identified in Iraq since the war ended. [154985]

Mr. Hoon

The Al Hussein missile is a version of the Scud B missile modified to increase its range to 650 km.

As stated in the Government's dossier on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, it was assessed that Iraq had retained up to 20 Al Hussein missiles. These were either complete missiles; missiles broken down for concealment; or separate missile components capable of being reassembled. The UNMOVIC weapons inspectors assessed that it was possible that Iraq possessed a small number of Al Hussein missiles. The UNMOVIC report of March 2003 stated that the consumption of some Scud and Al Hussein missiles could not be independently verified and there were also unanswered questions about the number of indigenously produced warheads and training engines destroyed by Iraq. We have no knowledge of any Al Hussein missiles being modified to reduce their long range capabilities.

There were no Al Hussein missiles used against coalition forces during the war in Iraq and, to date, there have been no Al Hussein missiles identified in Iraq since the war ended.