§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the contribution that his Department is making to tackling piracy on the high seas. [134954]
§ Mr. IngramThe Ministry of Defence acts in concert with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Transport in seeking to tackle both piracy on the high seas, and maritime armed crime, which takes place in states' territorial waters. The Defence Intelligence Staff is actively engaged with national and international defence intelligence and maritime security communities, as well as commercial shipping and other organisations, to promote wider awareness, understanding, and co-operation in dealing with this growing world wide problem. The Defence Intelligence Staff also produces reports and analyses, including the "Worldwide Threat To Shipping", published on the World Wide Web at http://www. rnreference.mod.uk.
In addition, under international law, the Royal Navy, like all other navies, is obliged to render assistance to other mariners. The RN deploys ships worldwide on a range of tasks, and in the event that a RN ship encounters a clearly defined case of piracy on the high seas, RN policy is to counter the incident and arrest those responsible in accordance with the appropriate rules of engagement. Commanding Officers on all RN ships are given guidance on the threat, and on recommended courses of action. Responses to individual incidents of maritime armed crime in territorial waters are a matter for the State which holds jurisdiction.