HC Deb 17 September 2004 vol 424 cc1834-5W
Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 3 August 2004,Official Report, column 683W, on Iraq, whether hon. Members other than Ministers had an input into the preparation of the September 2002 Dossier, Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction. [188758]

Mr. MacShane

As I made clear in my answer on 3 August (published on 1 September 2004,Official Report, column 683W), the Joint Intelligence Committee was responsible for producing the dossier. The final draft was made available for information to members of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed that post-war validation had raised serious doubts about the reliability of reporting from the sub-source referred to in paragraph 403 of the Butler Report. [189278]

Mr. Straw

[holding answer 16 September 2004]: These matters have been examined exhaustively in the course of the Butler review and other inquiries. All relevant information has been placed in the public domain insofar as that could be done without prejudicing national security.

Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2004,Official Report, columns 683–4W, on Iraq, when the translation of Iraq's declaration of the status of its programmes of weapons of mass destruction was completed; and if he will place a copy of the translation in the Library. [189288]

Mr. MacShane

[holding answer 16 September 2004]: Translation of the test of the declaration, of which 648 pages were in Arabic, was completed on 20 December 2002.

The supporting documentation (much of which consisted of purchase orders and invoices) were reviewed, summarised and assessed over the ensuing weeks, and this work had been completed by 19 March 2003.

The declaration remains a confidential document of the United Nations, and I cannot, therefore, place a copy in the Library of the House.

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