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26 Mar 2003 : Column 294—continued
Mr. Hoon: I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his observations, particularly concerning those who have died and their families. As the Prime Minister said a few moments ago, our absolute priority is to inform relatives as quickly as possible, but I hope that right hon. and hon. Members will understand that it is necessary to get that right. Greater pain could be caused by making mistakes in that difficult and sensitive task, and we go to a great deal of trouble to ensure that it is handled properly and appropriately.
I assure the House that welfare arrangements are in place to support the families of reservists. For ex-regular reservists in the Army, the regional brigades in the UK provide welfare officers, helplines and the same sort of structure that is available to our regular forces. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force regional arrangements are in place. If right hon. and hon.
Members have concerns about the position of reservists in that respect, I would certainly be delighted to hear from them, and I would hope to be able to put their minds at rest.The hon. Gentleman is right that we need to deal flexibly with the situation in Basra in accordance with circumstances on the ground, which is why it is so important that commanders on the ground who have up-to-date and detailed information about what is happening in the city should be left to decide how best to occupy that city, which certainly ultimately will be necessary.
I am also grateful to the hon. Gentleman for mentioning those engaged in mine clearance. The waters around Umm Qasr are filled with silt and are dirty and very dangerous. So, it is right to pay tribute to a Royal Navy capability—a capability that is the envy of the world. We have the very best people engaged in that task.
Force protection of supply lines is being addressed by commanders on the ground, and it is something to which we must have proper regard.
I dealt in my statement with the issue of Royal Marines along the Iranian border. That is simply part of their normal area of operations.
Mr. Paul Keetch (Hereford): May I thank the Secretary of State for advance notice of his statement and associate myself with the sympathies he expressed to members of the coalition forces who have been killed in action and their families? Can we also remember the families of Iraqi civilians who have been killed, because as the Secretary of State rightly said, our battle is not with them?
On the role of 16 Air Assault Brigade in securing oil installations in southern Iraq, have Iraqi troops been preparing to shell the oilfields as well as to mine them? The Secretary of State mentioned British troops on the outskirts of Basra. Will he clarify the aims of entering Basra? Is it to prevent the Iraqi army firing on its own people, or is the control of Basra now a military objective?
I pay tribute to the Royal Navy-led operation in demining the waters around Umm Qasr. We also welcome the news that humanitarian shipments are about to begin. When will Sir Galahad be docking, and will further ships follow? Is it still the British Government's objective to deliver humanitarian assistance alongside ongoing military operations?
On the situation on the Turkish border, are Kurdish forces now under coalition control? Is there coalition contact with Turkish troops entering the area? Without prejudicing the operations of any of our troops, will the Secretary of State outline the role of British forces in that area and any plans to improve arrangements for the British in the north?
Suggestions that this might be akin to a six-day war were always optimistic. As the conflict continues, our thoughts remain with our forces and with their families at home.
Mr. Hoon: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments. To pick up his concluding comment, I made it clear in my statement to the House last Thursday that
we should not believe commentators who suggest that this might be a short, simple conflict. I am sure that right hon. and hon. Members will not fall into that trap.I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about Iraqi civilians, their deaths and their families. It is no part of the coalition effort to target those civilians, although necessarily in conflict there is clearly a risk to them.
I set out the current position of 16 Air Assault Brigade. We have long been concerned about the threat to the oil infrastructure from Saddam Hussein's regime, which is why the military plan targeted those areas at the outset in order that they could be preserved for the benefit of the Iraqi people subsequently.
Our aim is certainly to protect the population of Basra. There is clear evidence of Iraqi forces occupying Basra and firing on their own people in order to continue the process of intimidation that we have seen there and in other parts of Iraq for so very many years.
Humanitarian shipments are under way, although not necessarily at the moment by sea. They will begin by sea as soon as we can secure the waterways. As I said, that is a slow and painstaking process. Kurdish forces are in close co-operation with coalition forces in the north of Iraq. That is the case for Turkey as well. We are in close contact with Turkey and we understand its concern about the sensitive situation along the border. However, strong indications have been made to Turkey about our anxieties over any move into Iraq.
Jim Knight (South Dorset): I am confident that this campaign is making good progress and I support the targeting policy, which is designed to minimise civilian casualties. How does that policy affect the pace of the campaign? Will it increase the need to deploy further forces?
Mr. Hoon: It was anticipated that there would be a risk to civilians in the military operations; that risk has been built into military planning. As we move forward, the risk increases. The aerial campaign has demonstrated the risk to civilians. However, I do not believe that that has in any way slowed down the campaign—nor will we allow it to.
Mr. Roger Gale (North Thanet): The Secretary of State is right to state that the priority must be the welfare and maintenance of our armed services in the field. Part of that welfare is their knowledge that their families back home are being cared for. The armed services and organisations such as SSAFA—the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association—are no doubt doing a good job, but mail that MPs have received has shown that we must also consider families who live off-base and the families of reservists and of those serving with the Territorial Army. They feel that they are outside the loop.
Through their homefront programme, the Americans have established an internet website and other means of ensuring personal contact with families. Will the Secretary of State and the Under-Secretary of State take a further look at this issue, and consider how we may enhance the support and information that we offer to families, whose support for their men and women is so vital?
Mr. Hoon: That is a very helpful and sensible suggestion. We will certainly look into that as far as
reservists are concerned. I assure the hon. Gentleman that, as regards our regular forces, an enormous amount of work is being done to support families at this difficult time.
Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow): As Napoleon and Hitler found with the snow at the gates of Moscow, President Bush and the Prime Minister might find that the biggest weapon of mass destruction before the gates of Baghdad is the April sun. As one who has had to work in a tank suit—admittedly in cooler conditions with the Rhine army—may I suggest that it might be wise to pull out the troops before they are cooked in the sands of the desert while laying siege? Or is it proposed that there be a war—in the view of the assistant legal adviser to the Foreign Office, an illegal war—in which we ask soldiers to fight in the alleyways of Baghdad at 135°? In order to avoid planet environmental catastrophe, and, frankly—
Mr. Speaker: Order. That was far too long a question.
Mr. Hoon: As the advice from the Attorney-General has set out for all right hon. and hon. Members to see, this is a perfectly lawful campaign. It will proceed resolutely to its conclusion—which is the removal of weapons of mass destruction from Iraq and the overthrow of the regime that has harboured them.
Brian Cotter (Weston-super-Mare): Lieutenant-Commander Tony King was killed in the crash between Royal Navy helicopters at the weekend. He and his wife grew up in Congresbury and went to the local Churchill school. His parents—Ann and Colin King—live in Congresbury, which is also my home village. Tony was very highly thought of in the services and in the village. Does the Secretary of State agree that, regardless of the circumstances, we should pay tribute to the work of Tony and others, and offer our condolences to the family? The Secretary of State will confirm that the helicopter operations that Tony King was involved in were very difficult.
We welcome the assurances that the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister have given about relatives being informed speedily. It is not for me to tread into the area of the free press, but—especially when there are accidents involving Sea King, Lynx or other helicopters—it is more urgent than ever that families be notified speedily, as such accidents immediately identify specific concerns.
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