HC Deb 16 June 2003 vol 407 cc54-6W
Sir Michael Spicer

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the cost of the war in Iraq. [119005]

Mr. Ingram

The 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.

Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time to determine since it will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and the cost of equipment destroyed and damaged. These sums are likely to be significant. However excluding those costs, the latest estimate is that the net additional cost of Operations in Iraq for 2002–03 will not exceed —1 billion; the amount set aside at spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03.

It is too early to estimate the costs in 2003–04.

Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with(a) the Secretary of State for International Development and (b) the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance regarding the restitution of the refuse collection system in Baghdad. [116258]

Mr. Hoon

I have had no specific discussions with either the Secretary of State for International Development, or the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), as ORHA is now termed, concerning the restitution of the refuse collection system in Baghdad. However, improving sanitation is among the Coalition's top priorities in the reconstruction of Iraq, and the CPA has recently facilitated the removal of almost a third of the 300,000 cubic metres of refuse that it is estimated remain uncollected in Baghdad.

Paul Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cluster bombs were used by British forces during the recent campaign in Iraq; and what assessment he has made of the number of unexploded cluster bombs in Iraq. [116927]

Mr. Ingram

United Kingdom forces used some 66 RBL755 air-delivered cluster bombs, each containing 147 bomblets, for which recent statistics show an overall failure rate of 6 per cent. and some 2,098 artillery-delivered L20 extended range bomblet shells, each containing 49 bomblets, which have a proven maximum bomblet failure rate of 2 per cent. Further evaluation of the latter will be required to establish the exact rate on the ground. We do not have comparable assessments for the rates of unexploded cluster munitions not delivered by UK forces.

Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a programme for the removal of landmines in Iraq. [117038]

Mr. Ingram

Providing a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of restoration activity for the coalition. The United Kingdom itself has made a significant effort to educate the local population in its area of operations about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance, but the actual responsibility for developing a programme for the removal of landmines rests with the Iraq Mine Action Centre (IMAC) and not the UK military. The UK and the IMAC are in the process of marking and documenting around 400 unexploded ordnance sites. In addition to this, the UK has, with the support of UNICEF and the ICRC, developed a Theatre Mine Risk Education programme. A poster and leaflet campaign has been carried out, head teachers in Basrah have been briefed and military teams are delivering mine and unexploded ordnance awareness training to primary and secondary schools on a daily basis using material approved by the ICRC. In addition to this, local radio stations are informing the local population about unexploded ordnance and encouraging them not to tamper with anything that has either been marked as or may look like unexploded ordnance.

Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the number of Iraqis who died in the recent conflict in that country, broken down by(a) military personnel and (b) civilians. [117369]

Mr. Ingram

[holding answer 9 June 2003]: We make every effort to minimise any impact of the coalition's military action on the Iraqi population. We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqi military personnel or civilians killed during the conflict.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts are being made to protect citizens in Iraq from(a) entering the areas where unexploded bomblets are and (b) tampering with them. [118196]

Mr. Ingram

[holding answer 11 June 2003]: A coalition-wide operation is currently underway to check and mark all suspected areas of mine and unexploded ordnance contamination. In addition to this, the United Kingdom has made a significant effort to educate the local population in its area of operations about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance. UK forces, in conjunction with the Iraqi Mine Action Centre (a part of the Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority), are in the process of marking and documenting around 400 unexploded ordnance sites in the UK area of operation in Southern Iraq. Radio broadcasts are being used to inform the population of marking practices and encouraging them not to tamper with the markers. A Theatre Mine Risk Education Programme has been developed with the support of UNICEF and the ICRC. A poster and leaflet campaign has been carried out, head teachers in Basrah have been briefed and military teams are delivering mine/UXO awareness training to Primary and Secondary schools on a daily basis using material approved by the ICRC.