Examination of Witnesses (Questions 100-106)
RT HON
MARGARET BECKETT
MP, RT HON
DES BROWNE
MP, AIR CHIEF
MARSHAL SIR
JOCK STIRRUP
GCB AND MR
NIGEL CASEY
11 JANUARY 2007
Q100 Linda Gilroy: Foreign Secretary,
on detainees, I think I am right in saying overall there is still
a similar number now as there was last year, about 14-15,000.
The Americans appear to be happy to see them released, so what
is the problem, what is getting in the way of releases and what
influence have we tried to bring to bear on that?
Margaret Beckett: I do not have
the figures that you have because the figures I have are related
to any detainees that we have.
Q101 Linda Gilroy: Could you let
us have a note about the current situation?[9]
Mr Casey: The figures you refer
to are principally those detained in Iraqi detention, and the
problems associated with the flow of people through the Iraqi
judicial system relate to the well-known shortcomings and delays
in that system, which we and others are doing our best to help
address, so that the process is speeded up. You probably know
we have ourselves a very, very small number of detainees.
Q102 Linda Gilroy: Is there anything
emerging from the statement yesterday which is likely to help
move that forward, because it is a very deep-seated problem which
has caused a lot of angst?
Margaret Beckett: We have been
and so have others involved, over some time, seeking to retrain
and support through the courts and judicial system and so on,
just as we have with the police and prison service and so on.
I do not myself see anything in what was said yesterday which
makes any difference to that.
Q103 Linda Gilroy: A couple of quick
questions to the Secretary of State for Defence, how many detainees
are there currently held by UK forces and will you now consider
providing the figure regularly to Parliament rather than just
making it available to journalists?
Des Browne: There are 100 presently.[10]
I was not aware we were not providing this figure to Parliament—
Q104 Linda Gilroy: That was in your response.
Des Browne: Nor, I have to say,
was I aware we were providing it to journalists. If it is felt
that it would be helpful for people to understand the full extent
of what we are doing and what is happening, if we can find a way
of regularly reporting that, then I will find a way of regularly
reporting that.
Q105 Chairman: How long will we hold
them?
Des Browne: Obviously we hold
detainees for varying times and it is not the same people now
we had perhaps sometime ago although it was less than 100. There
are processes which reflect the agreement we have in terms of
the Security Council resolution, now involving the Iraqis themselves,
which review the detention and this was an issue that was dealt
with by the Committee in its last report and we responded to it.
Since we are running out of time, I will write to the Committee,
up-dating them on our response to the last report in relation
to the issue of detainees and I will find a regular way of reporting
to Parliament.
Q106 Linda Gilroy: Can you let us
know what the position is on the plan to open a detention facility
at Basrah Air Station and how many detainees that is designed
to accommodate? Is it planned that the Iraqis will keep the Shaibah
facility open?
Des Browne: Chairman, I will answer
all those questions in correspondence to the Committee. If the
Clerk could be in touch with my office about any other supplementaries
in this area, I will try to deal with them all in a comparatively
short period of time in the one piece of correspondence. [11]
Margaret Beckett: Could we briefly
remind the Committee though, Chairman, that the Red Cross and
the ministry have access to those detainees.
Des Browne: We are going to some
lengths to ensure that the detention facility, the temporary detention
facility we will build because we perceive we need one, will be
compliant with the Red Cross's standards and with the Geneva Convention
and all the necessary human rights' standards. May I say on this,
this issue of defence is very important in terms of the ability
of the Iraqi Government to be able to sustain a reconciliation
going forward. The figures which have been used thus far are not
fully reflective of the scale of the problem; it is a significant
problem.
Chairman: It is now 5.31. I never thought
we would do it and we have not. Since we are a minute late, I
apologise. I am grateful to the witnesses and to both Committees
for a good deal of co-operation in covering a lot of ground and
for the information we have discussed. Thank you very much indeed.
9 See Ev 20-22 Back
10
The number of detainees fluctuates at around the 100 mark. On
11 January 2007 there were 107 detainees. Back
11
See Ev 20-22 Back
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