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28 Jun 2004 : Column 141W—continued

Fire Study 2000

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to begin the implementation of Fire Study 2000; and if he will make a statement. [179533]

Mr. Ingram: The future organisation of the Defence Fire Services is dependent upon the result of the Airfield Support Services Project (ASSP) which is examining the most cost effective way of delivering airfield support and wider fire services without compromising operational capability or safety. In the meantime, but without prejudice to the final outcome of ASSP, we are considering whether there is benefit in proceeding with the implementation of Fire Study 2000 separately. However, at present no decision on this matter has been made.

Fisheries

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fisheries protection vessels are in operation; and where they operate. [180411]

Mr. Ingram: The RN Fishery Protection Squadron currently has three River Class patrol vessels and three Hunt Class MCMVs allocated to Fishery Protection duty, although the number of ships actually on patrol at any given time will depend on the level of fishing activity. Other RN ships can also be called upon to carry out Fishery Protection duties if so required.

The RN Fishery Protection Squadron patrols the areas within the British Fishery Limits around the English, Welsh, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Island coasts. The RN also inspects British fishing vessels in international waters. The Scottish Fishery Protection Agency is responsible for patrolling the waters off the Scottish coast.

Gaul

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigation has been made into the claim by former Chief Petty Officer Derek Barron regarding the sinking of the fishing vessel The Gaul in the Barents Sea in 1974. [179334]

Mr. Ingram: Investigation of Mr. Barron's claim is a matter for the Formal Inquiry into the sinking of the Gaul, which is being conducted by the Wreck
 
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Commissioner. The Ministry of Defence is committed to giving every assistance to the Inquiry on this and on all other matters.

Gibraltar Regiment

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Gibraltar Regiment. [173373]

Mr. Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 5 May 2004, Official Report, column 1528W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell).

Defence Expenditure

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government's expenditure plans 2004–05 to 2005–06 will be published. [180561]

Mr. Ingram: We expect to publish the Government's Expenditure Plans for the Ministry of Defence 2004–05 to 2005–06 before the summer recess.

Gulf War Syndrome

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to assist the Royal British Legion with the independent inquiry into Gulf War Syndrome. [179759]

Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 June 2004, Official Report, column 1297W, to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler).

Interrogation Techniques

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he was first informed that UK forces in Iraq were practising the banned interrogation technique of hooding prisoners; if he will list the regiments in which the practice was identified; and on what date and on whose authority an order was issued to cease the practice. [174552]

Mr. Ingram: We are not aware of any incidents in which United Kingdom interrogators are alleged to have used hooding as an interrogation technique.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account he took of (a) the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Ireland v. United Kingdom to outlaw the use of the five techniques of interrogation found to be in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention and (b) the response of the then Government to that judgment in setting the parameters for conduct by British forces in Iraq in respect of individuals held. [179056]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 June 2004]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 May 2004, Official Report, column 1693W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara). This remains the Government position. It is made clear to all armed forces personnel undergoing training in interrogation that the five techniques, hooding, wall standing, sleep deprivation, food deprivation, and white noise, are in all circumstances unacceptable as methods of interrogation.
 
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Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Coalition military operations have damaged the remains of ancient Babylon; and if he will make a statement. [179337]

Mr. Ingram: The Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraq Ministry of Culture are currently investigating claims that Coalition Military may have caused damage to sites of archaeological and cultural interest at Babylon. Babylon is outside the United Kingdom's area of Operation in Iraq, and no members of the UK armed forces are based there.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) civilians, (b) coalition forces and (c) terrorists killed in Iraq since the end of the war; and what the evidential basis is for his estimate. [174830]

Mr. Ingram: Since the end of major combat operations on 1 May 2003, United Kingdom forces have suffered 25 fatalities. Those suffered by other members of the International Coalition are a matter for them to comment on.

Since 1 May, UK Units have reported all confirmed fatalities of which they are aware arising from incidents in which they were involved and we have put in place a mechanism for central collation of unit reports. However it is not always possible to confirm whether fatalities or injuries have occurred during a particular incident. For example, in some incidents we believe Iraqi dead and/or injured may have been taken away by their compatriots before UK Forces could investigate. In other incidents UK Forces have been forced to withdraw before any Iraqi fatalities and/or injuries could be confirmed. Consequently we have no viable means of assessing the completeness of the information.

The same difficulty arises in estimating the number of terrorists killed.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 6 January 2004, Official Report, column 235W, on Iraq, if he will name the Iraqi gunman killed in self-defence. [177588]

Mr. Ingram: The gunman has been identified as Hilal Finjan Salman.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the senior officer of the First Regiment Royal Highland Fusiliers responsible for the running of the United Kingdom detention facility in Shaibah, Iraq is; how often he makes reports of conditions within this facility; what items such reports cover; whether the Secretary of State automatically receives a copy of reports made on this facility; and if he will make a statement. [177706]

Mr. Ingram: The Officer Commanding of the UK's Divisional Temporary Detention facility produces a daily situation report which is sent to the Multinational Division (Southeast) and to the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters. The report covers significant events, and miscellaneous issues. The Secretary of State does not automatically receive a copy, but is made aware of all matters of importance.
 
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I am withholding the officer's name under Exemption 12 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the medical records of those Iraqis held in detention by British forces in Southern Iraq have been provided to those interrogating them. [179024]

Mr. Ingram: Individuals detained by British forces in Iraq undergo a full medical examination to ensure detention does not pose a risk to their health. A further medical examination is conducted on those individuals identified for interrogation in order to assess whether such activity constitutes a risk to their health. The records of such medicals are available to those personnel involved in interrogating the individual.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the line of command is that reports directly to him from persons who have direct responsibility for the running of British military and civilian prisons in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [177243]

Mr. Ingram: The line of command from the United Kingdom detention facility in Iraq is as follows:

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men and (b) women working in British-run military and civilian prisons in Iraq are employed by private contractors; to whom they are responsible; what their terms of employment are; what training they are given before becoming a police officer; and if he will make a statement. [177246]

Mr. Ingram: There are no employees of private contractors working in the British detention facility in Iraq.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been during the last 12 months to the Government of the running of British military and civilian prisons in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [177251]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence operates a single military detention facility, which opened in December 2003. The cost of the facility, up to 31 May 2004, has been approximately £684,000.

There are no civilian prisons operated by the MOD in Iraq.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that conditions of detention in Iraq fully comply with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. [166938]

Mr. Ingram: A mechanism to monitor conditions at the UK Divisional Temporary Detention Facility in Iraq is in place. The International Committee of the Red Cross, who are the internationally recognised monitors of implementation of the Geneva Conventions, make regular visits to the Facility. Discussions routinely take place between local ICRC representatives and British
 
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military staff to resolve any issues relating to the conditions in which internees are held. The ICRC produce confidential working papers which are passed to the UK General Officer Commanding in Iraq, and are staffed through the Chain of Command to the Permanent Joint Headquarters and to the MOD if appropriate. Ministers are routinely kept abreast of the results of the ICRC's continuing scrutiny of British-run detention facilities in Iraq, and any substantive issues raised by the ICRC are promptly brought to their attention.

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of the number of off duty members of the Iraqi Security forces among the killed and wounded of the Iraqi insurgents. [170177]

Mr. Ingram: Since 1 June 2003 we believe the Iraqi Security forces have suffered about 300 fatalities. We do not hold information on whether the fatalities occurred when they were on, or off-duty.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of private contractors in the (a) administration, (b) interrogation and (c) handling of prisoners under UK jurisdiction in Iraq; which contractors are involved; and which laws are applicable to their activities. [171443]

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether civilian (a) contractors and (b) interrogators are employed in Iraqi jails under the control of British forces. [171987]

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the minimum requirements demanded by his Department are of the individual contractors employed to be involved in the detention of the prisoners of UK forces in Iraq; and at what level in his Department the decision was taken to employ each in these roles; [172325]

(2) what factors underlay the decision to employ private contractors to assist with the detention of prisoners of UK forces in Iraq in preference to (a) his Department's staff and (b) seconded prison officers from the UK; and if he will make a statement; [172326]

(3) how many private contractors are involved in dealing with prisoners of UK forces in Iraq; from which companies they are employed; at which locations they are used; who is responsible for there behaviour; what their responsibilities are; what the cost of their employment was in April; and for how long he intends to employ them. [172329]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 May 2004]: There are no private contractors employed in the direct administration, interrogation or handling of prisoners under the United Kingdom jurisdiction in Iraq.

Iraqi criminal justice system prisons are under the control of the Coalition Provisional Authority through the Ministry of Justice. The administration and handling of prisoners in Ministry of Justice run prisons is carried out by Iraqi Correctional Service employees. The Ministry of Justice employs local contractors in the following capacities.
 
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No interrogation takes place in Ministry of Justice prisons.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the employment of civilian (a) contractors and (b) interrogators in Iraqi jails is part of the Coalition Provisional Authority's military strategy. [171986]

Mr. Ingram: Internment facilities operated by members of the international coalition for the security of their forces are not within the auspices of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

We are not in a position to comment on prisons and other criminal detention facilities operated within the Iraqi judicial system.

The UK Divisional Temporary Detention Facility does not employ civilians as contractors or interrogators in the direct administration, interrogation or handling of prisoners.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum length of time is that Iraqi (a) civilians, (b) former military persons and (c) others can be detained without charge; what procedures govern the release of these individuals without charge; and if he will make a statement. [172303]

Mr. Ingram: Article 78 of the IV Geneva Convention (1949) allows the UK as the Occupying Power in Iraq to intern people where it considers it necessary for imperative reasons of security.

Internees' cases are all reviewed regularly, however, they may be held until such time as they are no longer considered a threat to Coalition Forces.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions the Department issued in the last year concerning (a) the handling of Iraqi prisoners and (b) methods for extracting information from Iraqis. [172993]

Mr. Hoon: Guidance on prisoner handling is contained in Joint Warfare Publication 1–10 (Prisoner of War Handling). It emphasises that prisoners are at all times to be treated in accordance with the relevant Geneva protocols.

JWP 1–10 also provides basic guidance on interrogation. However, primary guidance on acceptable interrogation techniques is given in-a stringent course which all UK interrogators must successfully complete prior to undertaking any operational interrogations. The course also emphasises that individuals being questioned must be treated at all times in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many hours of training on average British troops have received in Iraqi culture and customs prior to deployment in Iraq; [174725]
 
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(2) whether there is a minimum level of training in Iraqi culture and customs for British troops prior to deployment in Iraq; [174726]

(3) what experts have been consulted in (a) formulating training programmes, (b) writing training material and (c) on the ground guidance for British troops on Iraqi culture and customs; and if he will make a statement; [174727]

(4) what topics and issues are covered in training given to British troops on Iraqi culture and customs prior to deployment in Iraq. [174728]

Mr. Ingram: Operational Training and Advisory Group sponsored pre-deployment training, given to each soldier deploying to Iraq, delivers a minimum level of cultural awareness briefings and practical training, delivered by experts from organisations such as The Babylon School of Arabic or the School of African and Oriental Studies.

This covers Iraqi culture and customs, basic language instruction and training to operate using interpreters. The briefings are delivered by instructors with a first hand knowledge of the area British troops will operate in. These briefings provide an overview, from an Iraqi perspective, of Iraqi history, religious issues and customs, family customs and everyday cultural awareness issues. The length of these briefings can vary, but average about one and a half hours.

Individual commanders then build on this foundation as part of their pre-deployment training. Army brigades routinely conduct cultural awareness study periods at the outset of their pre-deployment training. Cultural advisers subsequently support brigade pre-deployment packages providing cultural awareness training and advice, ranging from seminars in small groups through to full participation in field training.

The Royal United Services Institute, The School of Oriental and African Studies, The Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, The Babylon School of Arabic, and The German Institute for Middle East Studies, Hamburg, among others, have been consulted in the provision of cultural training for British troops.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he will use to decide whether more troops are to be deployed to Iraq after 30 June. [174855]

Mr. Ingram: United Kingdom Commanders in the Multi National Division South East regularly review the force level and mix to ensure that they have the necessary capability for likely tasks. We are also considering, with the other members of the Multi National Force, the levels and dispositions of Forces across Iraq that will be appropriate for the forthcoming Transitional period.

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