HC Deb 23 February 1998 vol 307 cc35-6W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential environmental consequences of an air strike on stockpiles held in Iraq of chemical and biological materials; and if he will make a statement. [30607]

Mr. George Robertson

I am not prepared to discuss hypothetical target options. Firstly, of course, I sincerely hope that there will be no need to take any military action; we wait to see the terms of the agreement that the UN Secretary-General has brought back from Baghdad. We hope this will indeed prove acceptable. Secondly, even if we yet find ourselves having to resort to military force, we would obviously not wish to give potential early warning to Saddam of possible targets. If force had to be used, we would look very carefully at all relevant options and take into account potential hazards, before deciding whether to target a particular location.

Dr. Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the cost per day of United Kingdom forces presently deployed in the Gulf. [30569]

Mr. George Robertson

The extra costs incurred from the beginning of the operation in the Gulf up to 2 February 1998 amounted to £2.5m. Costs relate mainly to the transportation of forces to the area, and consequently are not a consistent daily amount.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total extra cost to public funds since 1 October 1997 of the preparations made to deal with the situation in Iraq. [30606]

Mr. George Robertson

The total extra cost to the MOD of the United Kingdom forces currently deployed in the Gulf amounted to £2.5m up to 2 February 1998. Costs incurred since then are not yet available.

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