§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the application of standards in the UN Basic Principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials for law enforcement duties conducted by UK military personnel in Iraq. [141686]
§ Mr. IngramThe practices adopted by United Kingdom military personnel in Iraq are consistent with the UN Basic Principles for the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials, despite the fact that we are operating in circumstances rather different from those in which it was intended to be applied.
§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place to ensure the(a) impartiality and (b) independence of investigations into non-combatant deaths in Iraq. [141687]
§ Mr. IngramIn exercising their constabulary powers the Royal Military Police (RMP) are independent of the Army's chain of command. At the conclusion of any RMP investigation, a report together with supporting evidence is submitted to the appropriate commanding officer and to the Army Legal Services—ALS. ALS will then advise the commanding officer whether there is a prima facie case for disciplinary action. In serious cases, ALS will advise the commanding officer on the procedure for referral to a higher authority and, if appropriate, on to the Army Prosecuting Authority—APA. The APA is statutorily independent of the chain of command. The independence of the APA was confirmed in the European Court of Human Rights in the Cooper Case last December.
§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the soldier's card issued to forces serving in Iraq. [147676]
§ Mr. IngramThe soldier's card contains information about the Rules of Engagement. It is not our practice to comment on Rules of Engagement and I am 1247W withholding information regarding their contents under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the contracts let to private contractors for the supply and support of UK troops in Iraq, stating in each case the nature and value of the contract; and if he will make a statement. [148004]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 19 January 2004]: I am withholding the information requested in accordance with Exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information as it is commercial in confidence.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 8 January,Official Report, column 453W, on Iraq, when the Iraq Survey Group is to make its final recommendations. [148035]
§ Mr. IngramI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2004,Official Report, column 538W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Glenda Jackson).
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his strategy is for ensuring that children in Iraq do not come into contact with depleted uranium. [148055]
§ Mr. IngramBritish forces are taking the following actions to minimise the risk posed to civilians by Depleted Uranium (DU)
DU fragments on the surface are being removed from the battlefield as they are discovered.Local people have been warned through signs and leaflets that they should not go near, or touch, any debris they find on the battlefield.Military vehicles known to have been hit by DU munitions within the southern sector of Iraq under British military control have been clearly marked.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in the Iraq Survey Group. [148064]
§ Mr. Keith SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 9,100 ISO containers used for Operation TELIC are missing and unaccounted for by his Department. [148868]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 19 January 2004]: To date 9,595 ISO containers have been supplied in support of Operation TELIC. Of this number 5,793 currently remain in use on the operation.
The balance of 3,802 have either been returned, re-tasked or are awaiting return to either the MOD or to the leasing companies as appropriate.
At present we have 73 containers, 0.76 per cent. of the original amount, unaccounted for. It is expected that the next information update from theatre will identify the locations of the majority of these containers and that they will either be in transit or have been re-tasked.
1248WIt is stressed that it is unusual to lose a container totally. It is far more likely that it would have been re-tasked or returned and that a delay has occurred in getting the relevant information back to the Defence Container Management Service.
Tony WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what number and percentage of Army Medical Service reserve personnel have left the service following Operation Telic. [149350]
§ Mr. CaplinAlthough we do not hold figures for the number of people leaving the Army Medical Services Territorial Army (AMS TA) overall, I can confirm that 240 Professionally Qualified Officers, from Role 3 reserve medical units (field hospitals) have left the TA over the last 12 months. This represents approximately 13 per cent. of these units. Very few of these individuals gave Operation Telic, or the risk of mobilisation, as their primary reason for leaving. Over the same period, approximately 300 people joined the same units.
§ Mrs. LiddellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the other national contingents under the command of 3 (UK) Division; [143729]
(2) if he will list the countries involved in the Multinational Division (South-East) (MND(SE) in the South Iraq provinces of Basra, Maysen, Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna. [143730]
§ Mr. Ingram3 (UK) Division formally handed over headquarters duties to the Multinational Division (South East) on 28 December 2003.
In addition to United Kingdom forces the following nations currently contribute a combined total of around 5,200 personnel to the Multinational Division: Italy; Denmark; Norway; Netherlands; Czech Republic; Portugal; Romania; New Zealand; Lithuania; Japan and Iceland.
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the failure rate of the bomblets in the cluster munitions his Department purchased from BAe Systems in 2003; whether the use of these munitions in Iraq has contributed to the assessment; and if he will make a statement. [146431]
§ Mr. IngramNo cluster artillery shells purchased from BAe Systems in 2003 were used in Iraq during Operation Telic. The ammunition used during Operation Telic was from a procurement made in 1996. No assessment of cluster artillery shells was carried out in Iraq.
However, each batch of these munitions procured is subject to acceptance proof firing. This requires a statistically viable sample of each batch to be fired and monitored. The area is then searched by the manufacturer's Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel to identify and report any bomblet failures. All ammunition lots we have procured have met the requirements. Other testing involves a random sample of the Self Destruct Fuze being independently tested by the manufacturer prior to assembly. Again, all these fuzes have met the requirements.