HC Deb 21 October 2003 vol 411 cc521-2W
Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2003,Official Report, column 910W, whether his Department has had discussions with the (a) World Food Programme and (b) International Committee of the Red Cross about security at the Ministry of Trade warehouse in Basra. [129802]

Mr. Ingram

The Department for International Development is responsible for liaison at departmental level with non-governmental organisations operating within Iraq. It is usual procedure for local commanders to discuss matters such as these with representatives of NGOs. Because representatives of the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross have now withdrawn from Iraq and due to the roulement of UK armed forces personnel, I cannot confirm when security arrangements at the Ministry of Trade warehouse in Basra were discussed.

Mr. Jenkin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many atropine Combopens each soldier had in his possession at 202 Field Hospital at the start of the conflict in Iraq. [133709]

Mr. Ingram

At the start of the conflict atropine Combopens were not issued to individual personnel of 202 Field Hospital (Volunteer) (202 Fd Hosp (V)), but 420 were distributed across several locations in the Hospital complex. By the end of March a further 1,200 were issued to 202 Fd Hosp and each member of the unit was personally issued with 2 Combopens.

Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work his Department is doing to locate, identify and repatriate Kuwaitis who remain in Iraq from Iraq's invasion in 1990. [117032]

Mr. Ingram

None. However, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is making significant efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1483 which calls for continuing efforts to locate, identify and repatriate all Kuwaiti and Third-State Nationals. Mass grave sites continue to be found across Iraq which may contain human remains from a number of groups of Iraqi society as well as foreign nationals. United Kingdom forensic experts have visited mass grave sites and a strategy is being drawn up which will enable the CPA to protect sites and secure evidence. There are a number of UK CPA secondees working to support the collection of witness statements and testimonies and train Iraqi organisations in the relevant skills.