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30 Jun 2003 : Column 38W—continued

Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action the Military Police in the Basra region has taken to investigate the whereabouts of Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman; and if he will make a statement. [116225]

Mr. Ingram: In the light of information that came to light last month, the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch have begun an investigation into the disappearance of Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman. Prior to this, and subject to the constraints of the security situation on the ground, British troops in southern Iraq, including members of the Royal Military Police, provided ITN investigators with whatever assistance they reasonably could in trying to establish what had happened.

General Service Medal (Suez)

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the detailed qualification criteria for the General Service Medal for those who served in the Suez Canal Zone 1951–54 to be (a) formulated and (b) made public; whether broad qualification criteria will be made public beforehand; and if he will make a statement. [121308]

Mr. Caplin: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 11 June 2003, Official Report, column 869W, that Suez veterans who served in the Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954 are to be awarded the General Service Medal. Following that announcement the detailed work is now being carried out by the Ministry of Defence for eventual presentation to Her Majesty for approval. It is too early to judge when this work will be concluded.

Health Care Initiatives

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the (a) Army Training and Recruiting Agency Secondary Healthcare Initiative, (b) Waiting List Initiative and (c) Rapid Treatment Initiative. [121309]

Mr. Caplin: The Army Training and Recruiting Agency's (ATRA) secondary healthcare initiative was formally introduced on 1 April 2001 and remains in operation. Personnel eligible for treatment under the scheme are ATRA trainers or trainees referred by their unit General Practitioner for investigation, opinion and/or treatment for a condition which is preventing them from continuing with their employment or training. Personnel are referred only when lengthy waiting times occur at the local Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit or

30 Jun 2003 : Column 39W

NHS hospital. The initiative has proved successful in reducing the average waiting time for both consultation and treatment, enabling trainers and trainees to return to work or training more quickly. The scheme is kept under constant review.

The Waiting List Initiative and the Rapid Treatment Initiative were schemes run by the then Defence Secondary Care Agency in 2000–01 and January 2002 respectively. Some 2000 referrals were made under the two schemes, which were successful in treating personnel more quickly than would otherwise have been possible and in returning many of them to full fitness. Experience gained from these two initiatives will be relevant to further fast-track treatment initiatives in the future.

Infantry Deployment

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which infantry regiments were deployed on Operation (a) Joint Guardian, (b) Essential Harvest, (c) Palliser, (d) Fingal, (e) Veritas and (f) Telic. [120874]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is set out as follows:

Operation Veritas is the overarching operational name given to Operations in Afghanistan, encompassing Operations Oracle, Jacana, and Fingal. No infantry battalions were deployed on either Operations Oracle or Jacana, and the infantry regiments deployed on Operation Fingal are detailed separately.

Operation Joint Guardian


Operation Essential Harvest


Operation Palliser


Operation Fingal


Operation Telic


30 Jun 2003 : Column 40W

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which infantry regiments have undertaken BATUS training exercises in each of the past five years. [120876]

Mr. Ingram: The infantry units that have trained in BATUS during the last five years are listed as follows:

1998


1999


2000


2001


2002


2003


Maintenance Costs

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often reviews are undertaken of the cost-effectiveness of contracts that the Ministry of Defence and its agencies have with outside contractors for the maintenance of Ministry of Defence (a) equipment, (b) civil establishments, (c) military establishments and (d) IT equipment. [121249]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence places on average around 40,000 contracts per year. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how large the task force is which is looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq broken down by (a) scientists, (b) army personnel and (c) others; and if she will list the job categories of those in (c) above. [121013]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 23 June 2003]: The Iraq Survey Group will have a changing membership based on the task at hand. The ISG will be around 1,400 strong and will be able to draw upon expertise and personnel as required. Its members would be Service personnel and subject-matter technical experts.

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Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which British Service personnel will be withdrawn from Iraq. [122447]

Mr. Hoon: We have committed ourselves to the long-term humanitarian, political and economic welfare of the Iraqi people. We will help them to restore effective representative government for all their people, to regain economic stability, and to reintegrate into the international community. Our Military Campaign Objectives contain a commitment to the withdrawal of British military forces from Iraq as soon as is practicable.

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weapons British forces allow Iraqis to keep for self-defence. [122645]

Mr. Ingram: Iraqi citizens are prohibited from possessing automatic weapons or from carrying weapons in public. In their homes, Iraqi citizens may keep non-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols.

Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the number of deaths resulting from the recent war in Iraq. [117878]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 9 June 2003]: In the period to 1 May, 33 UK service personnel had lost their lives. As of 25 June a further 10 personnel had died.

Fatalities suffered by other members of the coalition is a matter for them to comment on.

We make every effort to minimise any impact on the Iraqi civilian population of the coalition's military action. We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqi civilians, or other categories, who were killed during the conflict.

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Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been raised for British servicemen through the UK Gulf Forces Trust Fund. [121799]

Mr. Caplin: As at 25 June the total amount raised by the United Kingdom Forces Gulf Fund was approximately £290,000.

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Iraq Survey Group to report on the progress of its work; and if he will make a statement. [122131]

Mr. Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer on 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 616W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith).

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many casualties there have been in the Iraq conflict, broken down by (a) British military personnel, (b) Iraqi civilians and (c) other categories. [118879]

Mr. Ingram: In the period to 1 May, 33 UK Service personnel had lost their lives. As of 25 June a further 10 personnel had died.

We make every effort to minimise any impact on the Iraqi civilian population of the coalition's military action. We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqi civilians, or other categories, who were killed during the conflict.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical personnel are on service overseas, broken down by specialisation; in which locations; and if he will make a statement. [118798]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 June 2003]: As at 23 June 2003, 650 personnel in the Defence Medical Services were deployed on operations overseas. The following table breaks this down between Regular and Reserve personnel and by specialty and location:

Regular medical personnel deployed on operations overseas

IraqBosniaKosovoAfghanistanSierra LeoneFalkland Islands
Anaesthetics211000
General Surgery101000
General Medicine010000
Occupational Medicine/Public Health200000
General Practitioner/General Duties Medical Officer2232112
Nurses2968111
Physiotherapy011000
Environmental Health Officer110000
Environmental Health Technician300100
Pharmacist200000
Pharmacy Technician110000
Laboratory Technician110000
Radiography010000
Operating Department Practitioner002000
Combat Medical Technician/Medical Assistant12442106011
Health Care Assistant046000
Medical Support Officer2240000
Dental Officer220000
Dental Support Specialist220001


30 Jun 2003 : Column 43W

Reserve medical personnel deployed on operations overseas

IraqBosniaKosovoAfghanistanSierra LeoneFalkland Islands
Anaesthetics600000
General Surgery300000
General Medicine100000
Pathologist100000
Radiologist100000
General Practitioner1100000
Nurses13400000
Physiotherapy300000
Technical Officer300000
Environmental Health Technician200000
Pharmacist100000
Laboratory Technician600000
Radiography300000
Operating Department Practitioner1000000
Combat Medical Technician/Medical Assistant11700000
Medical Support Officer100000
Dental Support Specialist500000
Dental Hygienist100000


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