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Midwives

14. Mr. Kerry Pollard (St. Albans) (Lab): What steps he has taken to ensure that local health services publicise details of how women can access midwives directly; and if he will make a statement. [169836]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman): "Building on the best: Choice, responsiveness and equity in the NHS", published in December last year, encourages local health services to publicise contact details for midwives. The children's national service framework, which will be published later this year, will emphasise best practice.

Mr. Pollard : I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. How can we encourage more people to take up training as midwives, to ensure that more women can have access to the midwife service?
 
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Dr. Ladyman: We are working closely with the Royal College of Midwives and a range of other partners on a whole raft of initiatives, including a leadership programme and an examination of the barriers to midwife recruitment. We are doing everything we can to increase midwife numbers, and I am pleased to say that we are having some success: there are now 1,500 more midwives in the NHS than there were in 1997.

Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South) (UUP): The Minister agreed that it is a long time since the Select Committee advocated increased midwifery services.
 
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What is the hindrance? Midwives, as opposed to obstetricians, still deliver more than 70 per cent. of babies, so surely they should be given more of lead role.

Dr. Ladyman: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: there is a much greater role to be found for midwives in the future. We are doing as much as we can to ensure that mothers are aware of that. For example, just before Christmas I launched a guide, produced with Dr. Foster, to explain to new mothers what services were available in their locality. We have to go a lot further to ensure that women have a genuine choice of a midwife-led birth if that is what they want.

 
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Treatment of Iraqi Prisoners

3.31 pm

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): I am grateful for this opportunity to report to the House following the serious allegations that have been made in recent days about the conduct of some British soldiers in Iraq. Any decent-thinking person will have been disturbed by photographs published in the Daily Mirror on Saturday, appearing to show the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers.

From the outset, we have taken the allegations seriously and taken the photographs at face value, and we will continue to do so unless there is evidence to the contrary. The special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police was immediately informed, and an investigation launched. RMP special investigation branch teams are currently following up lines of inquiry in Iraq, in the UK and in Cyprus, where the First Battalion, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment is currently based. Investigating officers are in touch with people at the Daily Mirror, to see what further information they have that might help get to the bottom of the incident. To date, they have handed over a total of some 20 photographs.

It would be wrong for me to speculate about the outcome of this investigation, which must be allowed to take its course. As right hon. and hon. Members will be aware, it is not appropriate for Ministers to interfere with police investigations. I can assure the House, however, that if British soldiers are found to have acted unlawfully, appropriate action will be taken. Our immediate priority is to establish the truth as quickly as possible. That is why I urge individuals with relevant information to come forward. We are determined to leave no stone unturned.

The House will know that a number of other allegations have been made concerning instances of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners and Iraqi civilians, some of which have resulted in fatalities. These are also serious matters and are being thoroughly investigated. There have been suggestions that such investigations are not being pursued properly or are unduly slow. I believe this to be unfair to the investigating personnel. Many of these investigations require detailed work to be undertaken in difficult and often dangerous circumstances. They cannot and should not be rushed. I am confident that they are being carried out properly.

It is my intention to release as much further detail as possible on all these incidents, bearing in mind the rights of all those involved. It would be quite wrong to prejudice this process by applying undue pressure for haste, or indeed to point the finger of guilt outside the due process of law.

The Daily Mirror article will have caused some people to question the integrity of British soldiers and the validity of their mission in Iraq. Thousands of service personnel have served in Iraq over the past 14 months. They have done an exceptional job in testing circumstances, and in turn have secured the support of the majority of Iraqis. I hope that right hon. and hon. Members will join me in paying tribute to the superb work that our armed forces are doing both in Iraq and elsewhere around the world. While treating these
 
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allegations with full seriousness, we should not allow them to colour our judgment of the quality or integrity of our troops, or of the Army as a whole.

Very grave allegations have been made that challenge the reputation of the British Army here, in Iraq and elsewhere. We must ascertain their truth or otherwise. At best, such allegations undermine the excellent work that our armed forces are doing under the most difficult conditions today in Iraq. They undermine the progress that we have made with our coalition partners in moving Iraq forward from the tyranny that the Iraqi people suffered under Saddam Hussein. Our forces serve with distinction throughout the world, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, the Balkans, Northern Ireland or elsewhere. Their achievements and professionalism are rightly praised worldwide. That is why we must establish the truth or otherwise of these allegations.

3.35 pm

Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex) (Con): I thank the Minister for his statement and for providing an advance copy earlier this afternoon.

The allegations in the Daily Mirror are extremely serious and must of course be thoroughly and swiftly investigated. But the whole House will agree that they are the more shocking because of the outstanding reputation of the British armed forces not only for their remarkable war-fighting capabilities, but for their abiding humanity and decency in peacekeeping operations, and because of the ethos and values of the British Army, which have sustained it so successfully down the ages.

A great deal is expected of our soldiers. They are required sometimes to deploy on operations that are extremely dangerous, to obey orders that may put their lives at risk, and to live and work for long periods under the most challenging conditions. This House, the country and the media badly need to understand that military service is like no other in the demands that it places on individuals and the organisation. Soldiers exist to engage in war, and war places unique demands upon them. They overcome those challenges only if morale, discipline and training are of the highest order. From every soldier is demanded an exceptional level of commitment, self-sacrifice and, above all, mutual trust. We therefore wholly support the most vigorous and detailed investigations to restore the good name of the British Army.

As I said, the allegations made in the Daily Mirror are serious and must be pursued as a matter of urgency. I should be grateful if the Minster clarified the following. Has his Department's investigation been able to confirm the authenticity of the photographs published by the Daily Mirror? Has his Department any evidence of the Daily Mirror offering financial inducements for providing alleged evidence of such behaviour? How many alleged incidents of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers have been reported? How many alleged incidents involving British troops are being investigated by his Department, and when will they reach a conclusion? Is the Minister satisfied with the training given to our troops in the handling of detainees prior to deployment and when they are in theatre?
 
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If these incidents have indeed taken place, the most vigorous action must be taken to protect those in military custody in Iraq and elsewhere, and to restore the good name of the Army. The values and standards of conduct under which our soldiers are trained make it absolutely clear that in bearing arms they have an exceptional responsibility of respect for others, and those values and standards demand from them the ability to distinguish clearly between right and wrong, and to maintain the highest standards of decency at all times.

Finally, the allegations centre on the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, which is more than 300 years old and carries more battle honours on its regimental colours than any other infantry regiment of the line. Its battle honours include Quebec and Waterloo. It fought with distinction throughout the South African war, in France and Flanders, and at Ypres, the Somme, Paschendale and Gallipoli. It covered the evacuation at Dunkirk, fought in the far east and north Africa, and was one of the two assault battalions of the 3rd Division that captured the beachhead at the Normandy landings. In the recent campaign in Iraq, its commanding officer was awarded the distinguished service order, and the regimental sergeant-major was awarded the military cross. If wrong has been done, it is clear that it must immediately be dealt with, but let this House and the wider country keep in perspective 300 years of the most loyal, gallant and distinguished service to the Crown and the nation.

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