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Foreign Ships

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1178W, on foreign ships, whether European Union guidelines prevent his Department from having a bias in favour of chartering ships flying the shipping flags of European Union member states rather than those of non-EU countries; and what changes were made to the process for chartering freight-carrying commercial ships following his Department's review in 2003. [155512]

Mr. Ingram: MOD procurement, which reflects the Public Procurement Regulations that have their origins in the 1972 European Communities Act, is governed by the fundamental principle that there should be equal opportunity to tender for work without discrimination on the grounds of nationality. Charter of commercial shipping is, therefore, arranged using a panel of commercial shipping brokers on the global market.

The 2003 internal Defence Transport and Movements Agency review of charter arrangements for freight-carrying commercial ships led to the introduction of a Safety Management System (SMS) incorporating a greater risk-based process. The SMS has been approved by the MOD Ship Safety Management Board. The comprehensive assessment of suitability for charter covers: the flag, as per the Paris Memorandum of Understanding; the ship's age; port state inspection record; classification society; nationality of owners/operators; Marine Superintendent's assessment; and previous record of MOD usage.

HMS Coventry/HMS London

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the present state of negotiations is between the United Kingdom and Romania for the sale of HMS Coventry and HMS London in return for Romanian military equipment; and if he will make a statement. [154666]

Mr. Ingram: Following detailed negotiations, the Acquisition Agreement between the United Kingdom and Romania for the sale of ex-HMS Coventry and ex-HMS London (regenerated and updated) was signed on 19 December 2002 (and countersigned in January 2003). A 'Back to Back' contract between the MOD and BAE Systems was signed on 20 March 2003, permitting the Acquisition Agreement to become effective on 26 March 2003. Subsequently, the regeneration package has been refined and a suite of alterations and additions to the original design has been developed. The parameters of the offset programme were agreed in the negotiations leading up to the Acquisition Agreement.

The disposal of these ships is not in exchange for Romanian military equipment. The agreed price will be paid in pounds sterling. Payments will be made in accordance with an agreed schedule of milestones.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prisoners are being held by coalition forces in Iraq. [145337]

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Mr. Ingram: As at 15 February 2004 there are 103 individuals held by UK forces in Iraq. We are not in a position to comment on the number of individuals held by other coalition partners.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the reports of investigations carried out by the Special Investigations Branch into civilian fatalities in Iraq allegedly caused by British forces which have concluded that no further action should be taken. [147698]

Mr. Ingram: Reports of investigations carried out by the Special Investigations Branch will not be published.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many suspected suicides among UK forces in Iraq have been investigated by the Royal Military Police. [148285]

Mr. Ingram: There have been no suspected suicides in Iraq during Operation Telic.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the process is by which the rules of engagement for UK forces in Iraq are (a) agreed and (b) amended. [148290]

Mr. Ingram: Rules of engagement, are drafted by operational staff taking into account the UK's obligations under national and international law and treaties such as the Geneva Protocols. Each rules of engagement profile is subject to approval by the Secretary of State for Defence, who may take farther advice from specialist advisers on any aspect. Requests for amendments are made by operational Commanders and submitted for approval by the Secretary of State in the same way.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Coalition forces in Iraq have common rules of engagement. [148292]

Mr. Ingram: No. Rules of engagement remain a national responsibility governed by the domestic legislation of contributing states as well as by international law. Within that framework, however, Coalition partners liaise closely over rules of engagement, and harmonise them wherever possible.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings with parents of Service personnel killed in the Iraq conflict he has arranged. [150063]

Mr. Hoon: I have had four meetings with the families of individual Service personnel who died on operations in Iraq. I have had one meeting with the families of the six Royal Military Police killed in Majar Al-Kabir. Five of the six families attended.

I also met relatives of those killed at the Operation Telic service of remembrance and reception in October 2003 and during the repatriation ceremonies I attended at Brize Norton in the spring of last year.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian contractors were employed under UK command to repair and maintain civil infrastructure in the (a) first 100 days and (b) six months following the end of high intensity military operations in Iraq. [150227]

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Mr. Ingram: No civilian contractors engaged in the repair and maintenance of the civil infrastructure in Iraq come under command of the United Kingdom military. However, the majority of projects being funded through the UK military's Quick Impact Project programme (more than 800 projects, valued at over $17 million) have relied, for their success, upon Iraqi contractors and sub-contractors. This is in line with our policy of supporting the use of skilled local labour and the stimulation of legitimate local economic activity wherever possible.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment was of the number of Al Hussein ballistic missiles possessed by Iraq prior to the onset of war; how this assessment differed from the assessment of the weapons inspectors; how many of the Al Hussein missiles had their long range capabilities removed prior to the onset of war; how many Al Hussein missiles were used against coalition forces during the war in Iraq; and how many Al Hussein missiles have been identified in Iraq since the war ended. [154985]

Mr. Hoon: The Al Hussein missile is a version of the Scud B missile modified to increase its range to 650 km.

As stated in the Government's dossier on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, it was assessed that Iraq had retained up to 20 Al Hussein missiles. These were either complete missiles; missiles broken down for concealment; or separate missile components capable of being reassembled. The UNMOVIC weapons inspectors assessed that it was possible that Iraq possessed a small number of Al Hussein missiles. The UNMOVIC report of March 2003 stated that the consumption of some Scud and Al Hussein missiles could not be independently verified and there were also unanswered questions about the number of indigenously produced warheads and training engines destroyed by Iraq. We have no knowledge of any Al Hussein missiles being modified to reduce their long range capabilities.

There were no Al Hussein missiles used against coalition forces during the war in Iraq and, to date, there have been no Al Hussein missiles identified in Iraq since the war ended.

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last used a train in connection with his ministerial duties. [155161]

Mr. Caplin: A Defence Minister last travelled by train on 8 January 2004.

All ministerial travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in Travel by Ministers.

MOD Police

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the MOD Police manpower in North Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement on the MOD Police in North Wiltshire. [155792]

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Mr. Caplin: All Ministry of Defence Police Area Policing Teams (APT), including that at Corsham, are being withdrawn in April 2004 and being replaced by Divisional Support Groups which will give the Chief Constable highly trained groups of officers which can be quickly deployed to respond to a variety of operational requirements. The nearest will be at Bulford Garrison and DSDC Ashchurch.

There will continue to be an MDP complement at the Joint Support Unit Corsham.

Due to shortage of office space there will be three officers from CID Foxhill based temporarily in the offices soon to be vacated by the APT Corsham unit.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many MOD Police are stationed at (a) Corsham, (b) Colerne, (c) Hullavington and (d) Lyneham. [155793]

Mr. Caplin: The number of Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers at the Joint Support Unit Corsham is 23. An MDP Area Policing Team of eight officers currently operates from Corsham. There are no MDP officers stationed at Colerne, Hullavington and Lyneham.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many arrests the MoD Police in North Wiltshire made in the last 12 months of (a) civilians and (b) servicemen. [155794]

Mr. Caplin: The following arrests have been made by the Ministry of Defence Police based at the Area Policing Team (APT) Corsham, during the last 12 months.

	Number
Civilians arrested by APT Corsham	7
Civilians arrested by Joint Support Unit (JSU) Corsham	1
Service personnel arrests by APT	7
Service personnel arrests by JSU Corsham	2

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have recently been made with regard to patrolling and other procedures by the MOD Police in North Wiltshire as a result of the heightened security state. [155795]

Mr. Caplin: No changes have been made to the Area Policing Team (APT) Corsham, with regard to patrolling and other procedures as a result of the heightened security state.

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