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Iraq
8. Mr. David Stewart (Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber): If he will make a statement on his assessment of the current security situation in Basra. [135550]
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): Before answering my hon. Friend's question, I would like to express my sadness at the incident involving a United States helicopter yesterday and to send my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
I visited Basra on 20 and 21 October. The security situation in the city remains broadly stable. We want to see the Iraqis taking increasing responsibility for their own security. We are making good progress in developing an indigenous Iraqi police force and there are currently 10,500 regular Iraqi police working in our area of operations, patrolling their country alongside coalition forces. More are currently in training.
Finally, may I take this opportunity to congratulate the members of the United Kingdom's armed forces and civil servants who received awards in the lists published last Friday?
Mr. Stewart: Will my right hon. Friend join me in praising the bravery and determination of the ordinary men and women of our armed forces in Basra, who are serving in difficult circumstances which I witnessed first hand a few weeks ago? Will he assess security at Basra airport, especially the threat posed by surface-to-air missiles? When will full commercial operations start at the airport?
Mr. Hoon: I thank my hon. Friend for the time he spent with our armed forces in Basra; it is much appreciated when Members of Parliament make such visits, and I know that his visit was particularly appreciated.
Military and civilian contractors continue to use Basra airport. Historically, it has never been used for large-scale passenger traffic and several practical issues, including security, would need to be addressed before it would be appropriate to open the airport for commercial use. Obviously, that is being considered.
Mr. Paul Keetch (Hereford): I join the Secretary of State in sending condolences to the families of the coalition troops killed in the recent attack on the Chinook helicopter. I also join him in congratulating the members of the British armed forces and the civilians honoured last week.
To his credit, the Secretary of State has never claimed that rebuilding Iraq—winning the peace—would be easy. I am reassured to hear what he says about the stability of the situation in Basra, but can he tell us how many British troops have been injured in Basra since 1 May? He accepts that Iraqi civilians have also been killed in the attacks, so can he give an assessment of how many have died? If Iraqi civilians continue to die, it will not assist our role in securing the peace.
Mr. Hoon: I anticipate that I can give the hon. Gentleman a list of all those who have been seriously injured if that has resulted in hospitalisation or a return to the United Kingdom, but he will recognise that many relatively minor injuries are treated on the spot and are not recorded in a way that would allow the information to be provided to him. If I may, I will write to him with the details.
Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead): The other day, when asked by a Senator how many troops were expected to be in Iraq this time next year, the US military representative—incredibly—did a tap dance instead of answering, so let me ask the Secretary of State: how many UK troops will be in Iraq this time next year, and may we have an answer and not a soft-shoe shuffle?
Mr. Hoon: I am always grateful to my hon. Friend for the way in which he puts his questions and the opportunities that he affords me, but I shall certainly resist his last suggestion. To be realistic, it is difficult to speculate about precisely how many troops will be required this time next year. The security situation in parts of Iraq, especially around Baghdad, is very difficult at present. The situation elsewhere—in the south, and in the north where American forces are responsible—is encouraging and better than the pictures from in and around Baghdad might suggest. Force numbers depend on the level of security. We are working hard to improve security, to rebuild Iraq's economy and to return government of the country to the Iraqi people. We want to do that as quickly as possible, but it has to be consistent with security arrangements.
Mr. Crispin Blunt (Reigate): Does the Secretary of State agree with the analysis that it was a serious mistake to disband the Iraqi army, because it will have to be built from scratch to assist with security around Basra and elsewhere in Iraq?
Mr. Hoon: No, I do not think that it was a serious mistake, because it would have been impossible to determine which elements of the Iraqi army were loyal to Iraq as opposed to loyal to Saddam Hussein. As I am sure the hon. Gentleman knows, the Iraqi army was modelled on the Stalinist arrangement, whereby people who were absolutely loyal to Saddam Hussein were implanted in the upper reaches of the army, as we found in the course of military operations in Iraq. It was not a mistake to disband the army, but the hon. Gentleman is right to the extent that it is important that we rebuild that capability as quickly as possible to provide real stability and security for Iraq. That is why the training of the Iraqi army is proceeding with such dispatch.
Mr. Mark Todd (South Derbyshire): In June, six military policemen from this country were killed in Majar-al-Kabir while training Iraqi cadets. It would be a great relief to their families, including the family of Russell Aston from Newhall in my constituency, if we had clear answers about the operational circumstances that led those military policemen to be there and the communications that occurred between British forces in the lead-up to their murder. Would it not also be greatly to the relief of those currently serving in Iraq if we could learn lessons from anything that happened on that day that would improve our operational effectiveness?
Mr. Hoon: I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who has raised this issue with me before. I recognise the concern felt by the families of those who lost their lives. I met members of most of those families during the repatriation to the United Kingdom of their loved ones' bodies, and I entirely understand their concerns.
I assure my hon. Friend and the House that determined efforts are being made to learn lessons from the incident to which he referred. Those lessons are being passed on to serving members of the armed forces in Iraq.
Recruitment
9. Bob Russell (Colchester): What proposals he has to improve recruitment to those regiments that are not at full strength. [135551]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Ivor Caplin): Efforts to target those regiments that are below full strength are already being made. Specific recruiting measures include financial support, use of all possible media avenues including the internet, and the continuing development of relationships with colleges and further education establishments. I expect the Army recruitment target to be achieved this year.
Bob Russell : I thank the Minister. Will he confirm that the Army is still under strength by about 3,000 soldiers, and that the situation would be even worse if 1,560 soldiers from Fiji had not been recruited? Does he agree that those parts of the United Kingdom with geographic regiments that are fully up to strength should be encouraged to recruit more? In particular, I urge him to reinstate 3rd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment as a means of helping to make up the shortfall in the Army.
Mr. Caplin: The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. I certainly welcome the recruitment of Fijians to the British Army; they have made a significant contribution for many years, and I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman wants to desecrate that. [Interruption.] It is expected that Army recruitment targets will be achieved this year, and that they will be achieved the following year too.
Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire): The Minister's remarks about desecrating the Fijians will go on the record as being particularly unfortunate. The Army is actually 4,000 men under strength. Will the Minister refute press reports that he intends to put that right by cutting manning strength in the forthcoming White
Paper? Will he say what he intends to do about the Territorial Army? The strategic defence review said that we need 44,000 personnel, whereas the current strength is 38,000. Anecdotally, the figure seems to be going down rather than up.
Mr. Caplin: I apologise to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell). I should have said "denigrate".
We are still recruiting people to the Territorial Army, and they are part of its overall strength. They play an important part, as I know the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) knows from his visits to his own regiment, and they will continue to do so.
Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft
10. Mr. Bill Tynan (Hamilton, South): Whether he expects the future strategic tanker aircraft to be (a) crewed and (b) serviced by sponsored reserves. [135552]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): The Ministry of Defence is currently assessing bids from two consortiums for the future strategic tanker aircraft project. As part of our evaluation of that potential private finance initiative contract, we are considering whether a proportion of the air and ground crew personnel could be sponsored reserves.
Mr. Tynan : I thank my right hon. Friend for that comprehensive response. He must be aware that there is some concern about the future of the strategic tanker aircraft as a PFI project. Is he confident that such an aircraft could be used for air-to-air refuelling? Does he believe that such an aircraft would be secure in operation? Does he agree that sponsored reservists should not be used in the front line in any future conflict?
Mr. Ingram: My hon. Friend has taken a particular interest in this matter, but I should point out that the Ministry of Defence has already awarded a number of PFI contracts that contribute to the overall operational effectiveness of our armed forces. For example, the enhancement of a strategic sealift capability through the provision of the roll-on/roll-off ferry service proved a significant success during operations in the Gulf. The concept of sponsored reserves sitting alongside a PFI project has been tried and tested, and to good effect.
Let me assure my hon. Friend and the House that we examine each PFI /PPP proposal entirely on its merits, and we will adopt a PFI solution for the future strategic tanker aircraft only if we are fully satisfied that it meets our operational requirements at best value for money. The two bids are currently being examined. We have not yet reached a conclusion, but all the factors that my hon. Friend raises have to be taken into consideration.
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