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Mrs. Joan Humble (Blackpool, North and Fleetwood) (Lab): Is my right hon. Friend aware that, as well as having a distinguished 300-year history, the Queen's Lancashire Regiment has more recently helped to rebuild 30 schools and two orphanages in Basra, and that it has also trained the police force in Basra? It is thus vital that the inquiry is undertaken as quickly as possible, given the caveats that my right hon. Friend has already mentioned, because the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and indeed our other forces in Iraq need to regain the trust of the people of Basra so that they can continue to do the vital work of rebuilding that society.

Mr. Ingram: My hon. Friend is right to point out that the QLR and other regiments have done good work. They have made truly magnificent efforts, way beyond the call of duty, to re-establish—or establish—normal society in Iraq. Their good name has undoubtedly been besmirched, and we must demand all the information that is held by anyone so that we can find out the truth about the allegations. It is difficult to judge how much damage has been caused to our ongoing relationship with the people of Iraq, but I have no doubt that British troops and all that they do are held in high regard in our area of operation and that that will continue. That is why we must lay the matter to rest. Let us see whether the allegations are founded.

Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham) (LD): As British private security companies play an extremely important role in Iraq, can the Minister say what arrangements exist to regulate their relationship with Iraqi prisoners and civilians?

Mr. Ingram: First, their staff will have to be properly trained and their capability assessed. They will then be obliged to comply fully with the legislation relevant to their operations. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman with the details about the regulations under which those
 
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companies operate—there are legal constructs and that is another matter where we must get proper explanation into the public domain.

Mr. David Borrow (South Ribble) (Lab): I share the concern expressed across Lancashire by colleagues from all parties about the impact of the allegations in the Daily Mirror on our constituents and on families involved at one level or another with the QLR. Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the allegations were true they should have been reported when the incidents were seen by members of the QLR? Had they been reported at that time—last summer, if the allegations are true—six or nine months would have been saved in relation to the torture or harm to Iraqi prisoners that may have taken place. Will my right hon. Friend explain the duties of soldiers serving in Her Majesty's forces who see something that should not be happening?

Mr. Ingram: All our troops are trained to report wrongdoing, no matter from what source. That deals with the first part of my hon. Friend's question. If true—of course, that is the important phrase—the incidents should have been reported much earlier, and we may have to establish why they were not, either during the investigation or at some point thereafter. If lessons have to be learned, we must ensure that no serving member of Her Majesty's forces feels obliged in any way whatsoever to cover up for wrongdoing, as that is a complete denial of what they are sent out to do in the name of this country.

Hugh Robertson (Faversham and Mid-Kent) (Con): The fastest way to clear up this matter would be for the Ministry of Defence to have access to the Daily Mirror's sources. If that paper's editor is not prepared to give them up voluntarily, has the Ministry of Defence investigated whether there is any way in which under military legislation, such as the Army Acts or something similar, it can compel the Daily Mirror to reveal those sources, given the security implications?

Mr. Ingram: We are too early in the process to give an opinion on that. We should call on the good name of the editor and the journalists of that newspaper to note the expressions of concern that have been raised in the House and elsewhere about the information that they claim to have—they state categorically that they have it—about those who carried out these acts. Perhaps they hold other information as well. We should allow them to co-operate; they are currently talking to our investigating officers, and we must take things step by step.

Mr. Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab): Has my right hon. Friend yet consulted the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission about what the code says about payments by a newspaper to those who have committed or are complicit in criminal offences? Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if it is established that those offences were committed, the sternest action must be taken against those involved? I say this as someone who served for nine years as a member of the Daily Mirror's staff and as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire who has visited the war graves of young men
 
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in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment who died in their young manhood to defend the justice and rights of this country. Does he also agree that, if those offences are not shown to have been committed and the pictures are not shown to be authentic, the sternest action will be taken in those circumstances as well?

Mr. Ingram: In this case, my focus has been on the allegations against members of the QLR. Although I treat all the attendant matters with equal seriousness, we will have to come to them at a later stage. Again, I hope that those in that newspaper and in other parts of the media that may have acted similarly will listen to the views expressed in the House, so that they realise that they should tread warily. Again, it is not for me to take such action, but we can seek to stimulate it. It is for others to judge whether there has been any wrongdoing and, if so, what penalties should be levelled against anyone who breaches any Act of Parliament. If the stories are untrue, we have to ensure that the QLR's good name is reinstated. We have a lot of work to do to ensure that those untruths are put to rest in Iraq and elsewhere, where members of Her Majesty's forces are serving in some very difficult circumstances.

Mr. Hugo Swire (East Devon) (Con): While I have doubts about the authenticity of some of the photographs, I have no such doubt about the wisdom of the editor of the Daily Mirror in publishing them at this time. We underestimate at our peril the damage in Iraq and the wider Arab world that the allegations cause to the reputation of the allies. Has the Minister held any discussions with our American allies, given the timing of the release of some of the photographs that allege wrongdoing by the Americans? If so, will he inform us of the nature of those discussions and what priority the Ministry is giving to talking to the Americans about restoring our reputation in Iraq and winning back the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?

Mr. Ingram: In one sense, I do not believe that we need to talk to the United States if we consider the serious way in which senior members of that Administration have reacted to the appalling photographs that involve US troops. Clearly, talks take place at the highest level—between the Prime Minister and the President and between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and Donald Rumsfeld. All those discussions are continuing but we must bear in mind that the allegations that relate to the United Kingdom are very new. We must therefore establish the truth and get to the facts. If wrongdoing has occurred, the perpetrators must be brought to justice, but their human rights must be protected. We cannot and should not take away people's rights in law. We must therefore be careful about ascribing blame or pointing the finger before any evidence that can stack up in a court has been presented.

The flavour of the comments today highlights the fine line that we are walking. Only time will tell the extent of the damage that has been done to our troops in Iraq and perhaps elsewhere.

Mr. Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op): There is anger and sorrow among the soldiers of the Queen's
 
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Lancashire Regiment and their relatives and friends. The photographs have besmirched the name of the finest regiment in the country. If they are found to be fraudulent, will my right hon. Friend ensure not only that the regiment's reputation is restored but that legal action is taken against those who produced and published the photographs? Does he agree that, if they are found to be fraudulent, the Daily Mirror will henceforth be known to Labour Members as "The Dodgy Daily"?

Mr. Ingram: I think that it is better to try to get to the facts. Although the reputation of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment—and the entire British Army—has been damaged, its good name ranks high internationally, as the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex said earlier. The more hon. Members continue to play in the same territory as those parts of the media that want to undermine the quality of the work that has been done—I do not place my hon. Friend in that category—the more they will drag down our troops' capacity to deliver the sort of normal society that we support. That applies not only to Iraq but to Afghanistan, the Balkans, Sierra Leone and other parts of our troubled globe. Big issues are at stake and we must all be careful in rushing to judgment. Let us get the facts, ascertain what has happened and take it from there.

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