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15 Jul 2003 : Column 193W—continued

Expenditure Approvals (Iraq)

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many urgent operational requirements in excess of £500,000 his Department has approved (a) since 27 January and (b) since 1 November 2002; and what the total value is of such requirements in connection with operations in Iraq. [121452]

Mr. Ingram: About 110 Urgent Operational Requirements for in excess of £500,000 have been approved since 1 November 2002 as part of preparations for, and the prosecution of, decisive operations in Iraq. These have had a value in the region of £483 million, and include 19 measures approved since 27 January 2003. In addition, a small number of measures are being approved to support the continuing presence of UK armed forces in Iraq.

Forces Pensions

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 4 April 2003, Official Report, column 141W, on the interest payable on tax incorrectly deducted from armed forces pensions, whether he has made a decision on whether a further payment should be made. [125540]

Mr. Caplin: As my predecessor, Dr. Moonie explained in his answer of 4 April 2003, Official Report, column 141W, where it has been confirmed that Service pensioners have paid tax incorrectly, they have received

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from the Inland Revenue a refund of tax, and, in appropriate cases, the statutory repayment supplement. A decision has yet to be made on whether it would be appropriate to make any further payment to compensate for the consequences of the error. We are still working to bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible.

Iraq

Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether cluster bombs have been used in Iraq since the declaration of the end of the war. [123604]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 7 July 2003]: Since 1 May 2003—when it was declared that major combat operations were over—the United Kingdom has used no cluster bombs.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF units remain in the Gulf region in support of Operation Telic; and what plans he has (a) to deploy further units and (b) to replace those in theatre. [123651]

Mr. Ingram: In support of Operation Telic the United Kingdom currently retains II Squadron (Tornado GR4—replaced by 14 Squadron from 1 August); elements of 10 and 101 Squadrons (VC10); elements of 24 and 30 Squadrons (C130); elements of 22 Squadron (Chinook); elements of 32 Squadron (HS125); elements of 120, 201 and 206 Squadrons (Nimrod MPA); elements of 26 and 34 Squadrons RAF Regiment; Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment Squadron (replaced from 15 July by 15 Squadron). Standard practice is to roule Squadrons every two months.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which ships remain in the Gulf region in support of Operation Telic; and what plans he has (a) to deploy further units and (b) to replace those in theatre. [123652]

Mr. Ingram: In support of Operation Telic the United Kingdom currently has HMS Chatham—to be replaced by HMS Kent on 10 July—and HMS Sutherland, RFA Diligence, RFA Brambleleaf, and HMS Triumph in the Gulf region. Frigates and Destroyers are replaced every four months. RFA crews are rouled on a rolling basis while the ship stays in theatre. HMS Triumph is currently committed to Operation Telic and we will review this deployment when necessary.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made regarding the restoration of law and order in Iraq; what area of Iraq UK troops are responsible for; and how many civil disturbances have occurred since the end of the war. [123839]

Mr. Ingram: Coalition forces hold the maintenance of law and order as a high priority. Coalition forces continue to patrol robustly, often alongside members of around 30,000 Iraqi police who are now operational across the country. Coalition forces are empowered to arrest individuals suspected of criminal offences, and their patrols have had an effect in controlling the lawlessness and looting that in some areas immediately followed the collapse of the Ba'athist regime. United Kingdom forces are currently responsible for security and stability in the southern provinces of Basrah and Maysan. We do not hold figures for the number of civil

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disturbances across Iraq, but the Coalition will continue to work hard to reduce such instances, and to improve life for the Iraqi people.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effects of 24-hour media coverage of the recent military action in Iraq on ensuring that families of casualties are informed before details are made public. [124465]

Mr. Hoon: The introduction of 24-hour media coverage and the development and use of technology have changed the way that wars are reported. During the coalition, broadcasters were able for the first time to report in real time from the battlefield, and incidents which previously might have gone unreported for several hours, were in many cases seen by the embedded journalists and reported back to their news desks. And in some cases, images were broadcast live.

These changes have caused the Ministry of Defence to keep under review its incident reporting and casualty handling procedures. While our primary aim is always to protect the interests of families involved, it was no longer feasible to delay announcing that an incident had occurred until all the next of kin had been informed. Thus, while our first task was always to inform the next of kin of those families affected, we simultaneously released information on incidents, subject to operational security, in order to limit the 'circle of worry' of non-affected families who would be aware from media reporting that an incident had occurred. However, incident and casualty reporting is a very difficult area and all decisions were taken on a case-by-case basis.

We did not publish the names of fatalities until we had confirmation that the next of kin, and in some cases the extended family network, had been informed. Our Casualty staffs worked closely with media staffs to ensure that the families involved were protected from any media intrusion.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the HVM Starstreak system was deployed in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [111815]

Mr. Ingram: The HVM Starstreak system was deployed to Iraq but was not used. The system has not been tested on operations but has met, in trials, all performance criteria against the original defined user requirements.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sets of clothing were issued to soldiers serving with Seventh Armoured Brigade in Basra. [112027]

Mr. Ingram: Seven Armoured Brigade have been issued with the following desert combat clothing: 16,578 desert lightweight jackets, 14,623 pairs of trousers, 8,392 hats, 8,556 helmet covers, and 8,014 pairs of desert combat boots, since deploying to Theatre, in addition to the clothing and equipment they were issued with prior to deployment.

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the former members of the Iraqi regime who have either surrendered to or been captured by Coalition forces; where they are being held; and whether the British authorities have regular access to those individuals to question them. [114893]

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Mr. Ingram: The following list shows the members of the former Iraq regime who have either surrendered or been captured by Coalition Forces as of 6 July 2003. They are being held at Baghdad International Airport and both United Kingdom and United States personnel are conducting a co-ordinated series of interviews with senior officials of Saddam Hussein's former regime.


Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the clearance of unexploded ordnance in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [116948]

Mr. Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave on 9 July 2003, Official Report, column 811W to my hon. Friend the Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd).

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