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Body Armour

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether all front line unit personnel serving on Operation Telic had body armour before combat operations started; [126096]

(2) what kind of body armour was issued to soldiers serving with the Seventh Armoured Brigade in Basra; whether there was a reissue; and if he will make a statement. [112026]

Mr. Ingram: The majority of 7 Armoured Brigade had full combat armour at the start of combat operations. Body armour consists of a fabric cover and filler which confers a level of ballistic protection, and additional ceramic plates which provide an enhanced level of protection.

Over 36,000 full sets of Enhanced Combat Body Armour were delivered to theatre, enough for all personnel who needed it. However, not all units received ceramic plates due to supply difficulties within theatre. To minimise any operational risk that might have resulted, approximately 500 sets of Enhanced Combat Body Armour were reallocated to units assessed to have higher operational need.

Bosnia

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to further reduce the number of troops serving in Bosnia. [128537]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom remains committed to safeguarding the security and stability of the Balkans, and continues to play a full role in the international community's objectives for the region.

No reductions are planned for the UK's contribution to the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which currently stands at 1,400 troops. NATO is currently conducting its autumn Periodic Mission Review (PMR), which will consider the NATO force structure. The UK will review its force contribution to SFOR in the light of the PMR's recommendations.

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Drinking Water Coolant

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision was made during (a) TELIC 1 and (b) TELIC 2 for the provision of drinking water coolant. [127107]

Mr. Ingram: Throughout the deployment and subsequent operations in both Kuwait and Iraq during Operations TELIC 1 and 2, bottled drinking water has been provided through the Ministry of Defence Food Supply Contractor. The quantities supplied have been consistent with the medical advice provided at the time. Sources of supply are subject to stringent quality controls to ensure that supplies meet, or exceed, EU quality standards. At static locations, where operational conditions allow, water is stored in refrigerated containers.

Drummore Harbour

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next plans to dredge Drummore harbour; and for what reason the timescale has been changed. [127849]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to dredge Drummore harbour.

Entertainment

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [106397]

Mr. Caplin: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence hosted the annual Defence Council Reception to which Members of all parties with a defence interest were invited. A small reception was also held for all Members of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. The combined cost of these two functions was £7,848.

Defence Ministers also host lunches and dinners for foreign defence Ministers who are visiting the United Kingdom on official business. A Member with a connection to that country, for example the Chair of an all-Party group, may be invited to this even irrespective of party.

Any other expenditure is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

All expenditure incurred is in accordance with Paragraph 65 of the Ministerial Code.

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for increasing the recruitment of women to the armed services; whether he has set a target; and if he will make a statement. [128157]

Mr. Caplin: The Armed Forces do not operate separate recruiting targets for women and recruiting initiatives are generally gender free. Nevertheless, the Services' recruiting organisation includes female personnel to assist a fair gender representation in recruiting activities. Furthermore all three Services have School Presentation

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and Recruiting Teams which visit many schools, including girl-only schools, each year. Recruit advertising also appears in female orientated magazines.

These and other initiatives helped the Armed Forces to recruit 3,230 women in 2002–03, an increase of 540 over the previous year.

European Rapid Reaction Force

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the European Rapid Reaction Force. [128424]

Mr. Hoon: Most of the 144 Capability targets which make up the Headline Goal have been met but there remain areas of significant shortfalls, some in key areas such as strategic lift, support helicopters and air-to-air refuelling. At Thessaloniki in June, the European Council agreed that the EU now has operational capability across the full range of Petersberg Tasks, limited and constrained by recognised shortfalls, which can be alleviated by the further development of the EU's military capabilities.

Although EU nations are strengthening their military capabilities, there is no standing European Rapid Reaction Force nor any EU agreement to create one. Existing national or multinational forces, declared under the Helsinki Headline Goal, will be made available to the EU on a voluntary, case-by-case basis when required for a crisis management operation.

HMS St. Albans

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it cost to repair HMS St. Albans; what costs were recovered from the ferry company involved; and if he will make a statement. [127254]

Mr. Ingram: The total cost of the repairs to HMS St. Albans has yet to be finalised but is expected to be in the region of £2,5 million. The process to recover costs has started.

Hydrographic and Oceanographic Survey Vessels

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department's PFI partner, Vosper Thornycroft, was responsible for the delay in the building of (a) HMS Echo and (b) HMS Enterprise. [127189]

Mr. Ingram: An assessment of the extent to which the prime contractor, Vosper Thornycroft, is responsible for delays in building these vessels has been completed by the Ministry of Defence and the conclusions discussed and agreed with the company. I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption 7 (Effective Management and Operations of the Public Service) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

The Survey Vessels contract is not under PFI terms, although Vosper Thornycroft is a PFI partner of the Ministry of Defence on other contracts.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have been airlifted out of Iraq suffering from heat exhaustion. [128433]

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Mr. Caplin: Since the start of military operations in Iraq, around 160 soldiers have been evacuated from Iraq suffering from heat-related illness.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on measures to secure Iraq's borders. [128421]

Mr. Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Bracknell (Mr. Mackay), 8 September 2003, Official Report, columns 3–4.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates and circumstances of civilian deaths in (a) Basra and (b) Umm Qasr since 20 March which have involved British military personnel. [121537]

Mr. Ingram: We make every effort to minimise the impact of military operations on the Iraqi civilian population. We do not, and could not, record the numbers of Iraqi military personnel or civilians that have been killed or injured during the coalition's military action.

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) armed Services personnel, (b) other non-Iraqi personnel and (c) Iraqi personnel are involved in maintaining peace and law and order in Iraq; in which areas these personnel operate; and if he will list (i) violent incidents in which they have been involved, (ii) fatalities and (iii) casualties since 23 April 2003. [122473]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 3 July 2003]: There are some 160 United Kingdom Royal Military Police and Military Police operating in Iraq at present, assisting in maintaining law and order in southern Iraq. The Coalition Provisional Authority reports that there are some 31,000 Iraqi police now at work across Iraq. We do not centrally record the number of violent incidents in Iraq. But 17 UK Service personnel have died since 23 April 2003.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Military Policemen are deployed in Iraq; what their role is; and if he will make a statement on what protection is afforded to them whilst carrying out their tasks. [123838]

Mr. Ingram: As of 28 August 2003, there were approximately 180 Royal Military Police (RMP) in theatre serving on Operation Telic. Their duties include Force Protection, liaison with host nations, Prisoner-of-War handling, Close Protection and general police duties at military establishments. The Special Investigations Branch, which investigates incidents and allegations involving members of the UK armed forces, is also part of the RMP. Members of the RMP are afforded force protection measures appropriate to the duties they are carrying out.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the intelligence sources to which reference is made in the section on intelligence, at page 15 of his Department's recent report on first reflections on operations in Iraq, include the intelligence sources drawn upon in the preparation of the dossiers on Iraq's military capabilities published in (a) September 2002 and (b) February 2003 by the Government. [126922]

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Mr. Ingram: The intelligence sources referred to in the Ministry of Defence's Iraq First Reflections Report are all the intelligence sources available to support the planning and conduct of the military operation including defence intelligence, intelligence from national agencies and intelligence from allies. However, the report's focus is on the intelligence on Iraqi military intentions in the period immediately before and during the conflict. The Government's Assessment of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction described the role of intelligence in Part 1, Chapter 1 which lists the principal sources as the United Kingdom's intelligence and analysis agencies and intelligence from close allies.

Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the installation of air conditioning at Ministry of Defence troop bases in Iraq. [127128]

Mr. Ingram: At present, approximately half of all United Kingdom Service personnel deployed in Iraq have access to air-conditioned accommodation. Work is continuing to provide further air conditioning in accommodation areas throughout the area of operations. The majority of personnel should be provided with air-conditioned accommodation by the end of September 2003.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Government's reply to the 56th Report from the Public Accounts Committee, Session 2001–02, what measures were taken, prior to the war in Iraq, to (a) invest in equipment, (b) raise awareness throughout the land forces and (c) refine tactics, techniques and procedures to improve Combat Identification in the land environment. [127307]

Mr. Hoon: Combat Identification is fundamental to combat effectiveness and enables us to minimise the risk of fratricide. We therefore have a continuing programme to support our armed forces' Combat Identification capability through investment in equipment, training and continuous review of tactics, techniques and procedures. Prior to war-fighting operations in Iraq we worked to ensure, as we do before any military operation, that robust Combat Identification arrangements were in place and that the best Combat Identification equipment available for this operation was provided.

We worked very closely with the United States in the planning phase on a coalition concept of operations for Combat Identification. This related principally to specific marking systems for ground forces. We acquired a range of new equipment to ensure that UK

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land forces capabilities either complied with or exceeded the mandated standard. We also acquired sufficient sets of the US's recently developed satellite-based Blue Force Tracking tool to help our units operate with US forces. GPS navigation aids and the short-range Personal Role Radio, a part of the Bowman programme brought into service early, were widely available.

UK and US forces also set up liaison arrangements to maintain dialogue on tactics, techniques and procedures for the operation and took steps to familiarise themselves with each other's forces.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants are in Iraq searching for weapons of mass destruction; and when they were sent. [128309]

Mr. Ingram: On 1 September 2003 there were 19 civil servants in Iraq working for the Iraq Survey Group employed in its task of searching for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. They arrived in theatre from 13 June 2003. This number will continue to change as new staff join and others complete their periods of duty.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of British forces in Iraq are engaged in making safe unexploded ordnance; how many devices have been disarmed; and what other agencies are assisting in this work. [114516]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 19 May 2003]: The United Kingdom currently has 10 Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in Iraq consisting of 99 personnel.

As at 4 September some 116,000 individual items of unexploded ordnance had been cleared. We estimate that over 220,000 rounds of small arms ammunition have also been cleared. The vast majority of unexploded ordnance is of Iraqi origin.

A number of Non-Governmental Organisations have been conducting EOD clearance under the supervision of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Team, including Minetech and Intersos.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British resources have been devoted to investigating deaths by friendly fire during the Iraq conflict, broken down by number of people investigating and their Service. [115792]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 3 June 2003]: All incidents where friendly fire is suspected are investigated fully. In the case of incidents arising from Operation Telic, most are being investigated by personnel from the Royal Military Police Special Investigations Branch. Eight personnel are currently employed on these tasks. Where appropriate, the incidents will also be the subject of individual Service Boards of Inquiry.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking to protect recently discovered mass graves in Iraq. [117059]

Mr. Caplin: The United Kingdom Government continue to believe that those who have been responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Iraq should be brought to justice. Where it is suspected

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that a mass grave site has been found, details of the site are passed to Coalition Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7) Crime Investigation Division. Where possible, UK Forces will provide protection to such sites, but this requirement has to be balanced against other demands for their services.

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