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Plastic Baton Rounds (Northern Ireland)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to bring guidelines covering the use of plastic baton rounds in Northern Ireland into line with the regime governing use of these weapons by the police; what remedies are available for those who wish to complain about any aspect of army use of baton rounds; and if he will place the operational guidelines in the Library. [17752]
Mr. Ingram: Differences between the guidelines for the police and the Army on the use of baton rounds stem entirely from the differences in their respective operational structures and practices. In the case of the Army the guidelines have worldwide applicability. There are therefore no plans to bring the guidelines exactly into line with the regime governing the use of those weapons by the police.
If a member of the public had cause to complain about the Army firing a baton round, for example if they were injured, it should be reported to the police so that they can conduct an investigation. They would receive the full co-operation of the Army and would be able to confiscate any items (ie a baton gun) that they deemed necessary for them to conduct their inquiries effectively. If a member of the public wishes to complain on other aspects of the use of baton rounds by the Army then they can write to headquarters Northern Ireland.
I am unable to place a copy of the guidelines in the Library of the House as it is a classified document.
September 11
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to consult the public on work to meet the additional challenges posed by asymmetric threats following 11 September; and if he will make a statement. [17448]
Mr. Hoon: As I informed the House on 4 October, it is my intention to conduct the work on the new chapter to the Strategic Defence Review in an open and inclusive manner. As part of this, I welcome views and contributions from the public at any time. I expect to publish discussion material early in the new year outlining the areas we are examining, reflecting emerging thinking and seeking views.
Afghanistan
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal protection is available for individuals detained by Her Majesty's armed forces engaged in duties in or around Afghanistan; what facilities are available to house prisoners captured in the course of the conflict; and what codes of conduct govern their interrogation. [17753]
Mr. Hoon: The treatment of prisoners of war is governed by national and international law, which also prescribes how they are interrogated. The international coalition currently has no facilities to house prisoners captured in the course of the conflict, although this will be kept under review as circumstances change.
27 Nov 2001 : Column: 761W
Royal Marines
Mr. Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers in the Royal Marines have been discharged for drug offences in each of the last four years. [17346]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 23 November 2001]: A total of 17 Royal Marines have been administratively discharged in the last four years through illegal drug use as follows:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 5 |
| 2000 | 8 |
Fair Trade
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of fairly traded (a) tea and (b) coffee used in his Department in each of the last five years. [18160]
Dr. Moonie: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Depleted Uranium
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many depleted uranium shells have been used in the Afghan conflict. [17486]
Service Vacancies
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacancies there are at present in the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) Air Force; and if he will make a statement. [18751]
Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) on 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 403W.
"Survive to Fight"
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the new edition of "Survive to Fight" will be (a) published and (b) distributed throughout the armed forces; [17704]
- (2) if he will make a statement setting out the budgetary arrangements for paying for the new edition of "Survive to Fight". [17706]
Mr. Ingram: The new edition of the publication "Survive to Fight" (Joint Services Publication 410) is currently in the final stages of editing. Barring technical problems, it is anticipated that the issue programme of this publication will commence in early 2002. The publication is currently funded from the adjutant-general's top level budget.
27 Nov 2001 : Column: 762W
Local Bodies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those local bodies which were set up under legislation which is the responsibility of his Department since May 1997. [17581]
Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has not set up any local bodies since May 1997.
Territorial Army (Civil Defence)
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the role of the Territorial Army in civil defence since 11 September. [17874]
Dr. Moonie: As part of the work announced in March 2001, under the Strategy for the Army (a version of which was placed in the Library) we were already looking at ways of increasing the contribution the Territorial Army makes to our Defence Plans. Following the attacks on 11 September, work is being undertaken to ensure that we have the right capabilities in place to deal with international terrorism. The range of options being considered includes the role of the TA in providing assistance to the civil community in an emergency.
Recruitment
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many have been recruited through Operation London Soldier. [18064]
Mr. Ingram: During the month of October, the number of inquirers at London area recruiting offices has shown an increase of some 25 per cent. over the same period last year. This is a direct result of Operation London Soldier. As yet, it is too early to know what proportion of these additional inquiries are converting into actual enlistments.
Gibraltar
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK ships or aircraft have been (a) refused entry and (b) had additional operational restriction placed on them by the Spanish Government in the last five years with respect to access to (i) ports and (ii) airports after visiting Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement. [17979]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 November 2001]: We have no record of any such instances involving military ships or aircraft.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what deployments outside Gibraltar have been made in the past five years by the Royal Regiment of Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement. [17978]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 November 2001]: In the past five years, units of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment of between platoon and company size have deployed to the UK nine times, Kenya once, Canada once, Cyprus once and Morocco twice, all for training purposes. Individual career development training is also conducted in the UK.
Many individuals from the Regiment have also deployed in support of operational deployments in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and Sierra Leone.
27 Nov 2001 : Column: 763W
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the visits to HM Base Gibraltar over the past two years by NATO forces; and if he will make a statement. [17974]
Mr. Ingram: [holding answer 26 November 2001]: In addition to the many UK military visits to Gibraltar, ships and aircraft from other NATO nations visit on a regular basis for training, logistic support and stand-off. Since November 1999, a total of 40 non-UK warships and 59 non-UK military aircraft have visited or operated from Gibraltar. Land forces from non-UK NATO nations also make use of Gibraltar for training purposes.
The only visit to Gibraltar actually under the NATO flag over the past two years was a joint UK/Canadian detachment of Maritime Patrol Aircraft, which operated out of Gibraltar in support of NATO exercise Linked Seas in May 2000.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many citizens of (a) Spain and (b) Gibraltar applied to join HM armed forces over the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [17977]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 November 2001]: Details are not available for the five year period requested. Since 1998 two citizens of Gibraltar have applied to join the armed forces. In that time there have been some inquiries from Spanish citizens about UK armed forces employment but these people were ineligible because they did not qualify under our nationality entry rules. A number of British citizens have made inquiries and applied to join the armed forces while living in Spain or Gibraltar but records of this are held separately from the recruitment of British citizens living in the United Kingdom.
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