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18 Feb 2008 : Column 101W—continued
For the armed forces, monthly information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the total number of cases reported over the latest available 12-month period (1 October 2006 to 31 September 2007) is summarised in the following table.
| Service | Investigated( 1) |
| (1 )This column records the number of formal complaints of bullying reported within each service. This number includes ongoing cases and complaints which were later withdrawn | |
The Department's unified diversity strategy makes clear that bullying and harassment are not tolerated in the Ministry of Defence or the armed forces. Revised complaints procedures were published in January 2007.
Iraq: Detainees
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to date to the public purse has been of prosecutions, trial proceedings and internal military investigations and proceedings concerned with the death of Mr. Baha Musa in Iraq in British custody. [186370]
Des Browne: It has not been possible to collate all the necessary information within the required timescale. The following figures are for those costings available to date, though they are not final sums.
Army Criminal Legal Aid Authority costs for all defence teams are £8,140,696.91. The Military Court Service costs, including costs for witnesses, transcription,
hotel bills, catering, interpreters and miscellaneous items, are £363,800. The Army Prosecuting Authority costs, including those for the judicial review, are £1,231,240.
I will write to the hon. Member once the costings for other areas have been received.
Iraq: Interpreters
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps his Department has taken on the (a) safety of and (b) support for Iraqi interpreters working with British forces in Iraq. [183062]
Des Browne: We take our responsibilities to the Iraqi interpreters working with UK armed forces in Iraq extremely seriously, and have in place various measures for their protection and support. If a direct threat is made against any of our locally employed civilians we will take action to provide them with extra security, which may include bringing them into the contingency operating base. If an interpreter is required for a particularly sensitive issue, which would place an Iraqi in a difficult situation, then we will use a third-country national to translate instead.
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 8 October 2007, Official Report, columns 23-24, we have introduced a policy to provide additional assistance to recognise more fully the unique contribution made by our Iraqi staff who have completed their work with us. This policy was detailed in written statements to the House by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 9 October 2007, Official Report, column 27WS, and 30 October 2007, Official Report, column 30WS, and is now in the process of being implemented.
Iraq: Military Equipment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, columns 1601-03W, on military equipment: Iraq, what types of body armour were gifted by the UK to the Iraqi government in 2005; and what the origin of the body armour so gifted was. [183554]
Des Browne: The UK gifted 25,058 sets of body armour in 2005. These sets are made up of two elements, a bullet/fragmentation vest and a ballistic plate. The body armour was purchased from a commercial contractor specifically for gifting to the Iraqi authorities as part of the UK’s efforts to prepare the Iraqi security forces to be self-sufficient in the management of their own security.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of civilian (a) women and (b) children killed in Iraq since March 2003; and how many of these died as a result of UK armed forces activity. [185810]
Des Browne:
I have nothing to add to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells), on 9 October 2007, Official Report,
column 545W, to the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Stephen Williams). The UK Government do not collate these figures.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which of his foreign counterparts he has held discussions on the withdrawal of UK forces from Iraq. [185813]
Des Browne: I have regular discussions with my counterparts from coalition countries, including the United States and our partners in Multi-National Division (South-East), on issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Iraq.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq. [185814]
Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8 October 2007, Official Report, columns 21-25.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many attacks have been made on British forces stationed at Basra airbase in each of the last 12 months; [183135]
(2) what the average number of daily attacks against Basra airbase was in the last three months, broken down by day of the week; [183136]
(3) what type of munitions are being used against British forces stationed at Basra airbase. [183137]
Des Browne: The number of attacks on British forces stationed at Basra airbase in each of the last 12 months for which data is available is shown as follows:
| Attack | |||||
| Mortar | Other | Rocket | Shoot | Grand total | |
The average number of daily attacks against Basra airbase in the last three months, broken down by day of the week, is shown in the following table.
| Attack—rocket | |
The vast majority of munitions employed against British forces stationed at Basra airbase are 107mm, 122mm and 240mm rockets. One 120mm rocket was fired over the last year.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Finance Director of his Department has visited (a) Operation Telic and (b) Operation Herrick to view existing operations. [185257]
Des Browne: Non-essential visits to operational theatres are kept to the absolute minimum. The MOD’s finance director visited Operation Telic when working for Commander-in-Chief, Land Command, but has not visited Operation Telic or Operation Herrick in his capacity as finance director.
John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the next report on health surveillance research on personnel deployed on Operation Herrick and Operation Telic will be made; and whether the research will continue until the end of all troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. [185987]
Derek Twigg: A second three-year phase of research on the physical and psychological health of Operations Telic and Herrick personnel is currently being conducted by King's College London; it is contracted to provide the Ministry of Defence with an interim report by the end of February 2009 and a final report by the end of August 2009. I would expect to make a statement on receipt of the final report, and will do so on receipt of the interim report if any clear issues of significance have emerged at that point.
With regard to findings from the first phase of this research, 12 papers have been published in the scientific literature to date, and more will follow. The timing of such publications, in accordance with academic practice, is a matter for the researchers and the scientific journals concerned. No decision has yet been made about continuing the research beyond 2009.
Marines: Deployment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the most recent tour interval is for each unit in the Royal Marines. [183516]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The most recent tour intervals for each major unit of the Royal Marines were as follows:
| Months | |
Between these major unit deployments, elements of some of these units have also been deployed in support of other units and operations.
Military Bases: Helicopters
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the commencement date of Project Belvedere is. [186887]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Project Belvedere, now known as Programme Belvedere, commenced in June 2005.
Military Equipment
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the application of the harmony guidelines to REME Metalsmiths Class 1. [186886]
Derek Twigg: The harmony guidelines are designed to ensure that the armed forces can perform the tasks that the Government require of them, without expecting our people to bear an excessive burden. They are applied to all trades in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in a similar manner to other specialist trades (for example the Corps of Royal Engineers).
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