§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list out-of-country missions in the last 20 years when British forces have(a) carried with 1271W them and (b) used non-lethal chemical agents; and in each case what the agents were, in which amounts and which delivery devices were used; [128866]
(2) if he will make a statement on UK policy on the use of non-lethal chemical agents by UK forces abroad. [128865]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answers 10 September and 11 September 2003]The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the development, production and use of all toxic chemicals and their precursors, except where they are intended for purposes not prohibited under the Convention, as long as the type and quantities are consistent with such purposes. "Purposes not prohibited" includes protective purposes related to protection against chemical weapons, as well as "law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes". United Kingdom armed forces comply with the UK's obligations under international law. We therefore would only carry, and would only use, non-lethal chemical agents for protective purposes related to protection against chemical weapons and for "law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes".
Records of out-of-country operational deployments from 1983 to 2003 show only two deployments of 'non-lethal chemical agents' with UK Forces. These were to Bosnia in 1997, and to Kosovo between January and July 1999. UK troops in Bosnia and Kosovo were provided with CS or CR for activities relating to law enforcement activities. The delivery systems that could be used would be by shotgun cartridge or grenade.
CS has also been taken overseas for defensive training purposes. This includes, for example, NBC training in Germany and testing of respirators onboard Royal Navy vessels.