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Battle and Theatre Honours

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Battle Honours to ships and squadrons of Her Majesty's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for their participation in the major combat phase of Operation TELIC during the period 19 March to 30 April 2003.

The following Royal Navy ships and Naval air squadrons have been awarded the Battle Honour "Al Faw 2003"

HMS "Ocean"

HMS "Sandown"

HMS "Ark Royal"

HMS "Ledbury"

HMS "Blyth"

HMS "Roebuck"

HMS "Brocklesby"

No 845 Naval Air Squadron

HMS "Bangor"

No 847 Naval Air Squadron

RAF squadrons which were required to operate under constant threat of attack and had demonstrated gallantry and spirit under fire during the campaign over Iraq and Kuwait or on the ground in the same territories have been awarded the Battle Honour "Iraq 2003" with the right to emblazon the honour on their Standards. Other squadrons which participated in the air and ground campaigns, albeit at a slightly lower level of danger, have been awarded the honour "Iraq 2003" without the right to emblazon the honour on their Standards. The RAF awards are as follows:

With the Right to Emblazon "Iraq 2003" on Squadron Standards:

No 1 (Fighter) Squadron RAF

No 12 (Bomber) Squadron RAF

No II (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF

No 31 Squadron RAF

No 3 Squadron RAF

No 47 Squadron RAF

No IV (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF

No 617 Squadron RAF

No 7 Squadron RAF

No 51 Squadron RAF Regiment

No IX (Bomber) Squadron RAF
 
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Without the right to emblazonment:

No 8 Squadron RAF

No 120 Squadron RAF

No 10 Squadron RAF

No 201 Squadron RAF

No 18 (Bomber) Squadron RAF

No 206 Squadron RAF

No 23 Squadron RAF

No 216 Squadron RAF

No 33 Squadron RAF

No 1 Squadron RAF Regiment

No 39 Squadron RAF

No II Squadron RAF Regiment

No 43 (Fighter) Squadron RAF

No 16 Squadron RAF Regiment

No 51 Squadron RAF

No 27 Squadron RAF Regiment

No 101 Squadron RAF

No 34 Squadron RAF Regiment

No 111 (Fighter) Squadron RAF

Her Majesty has also approved the award of the Battle Honours "Al Basrah" and "Western Iraq 2003" and the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" to Army units which participated in Operation TELIC. Specifically the Queen has approved the award of the Battle Honour "Al Basrah" and the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" to the Irish Guards who participated in Operation TELIC during the period 19 March to 30 April 2003. The Irish Guards are being awarded these honours ahead of other Army units to enable them to display the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" on their Colour on the Queen's Birthday Parade on 11 June 2005. They are unlikely to Troop their Colour again for another seven or eight years. Other Army units who served on TELIC during this period are being invited to apply for the award of these honours. Once all applications are ratified, details of the other units to receive the awards will be notified to Parliament by means of a separate Written Ministerial Statement.

Oversight Commissioner: Report

The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Shaun Woodward) has made the following Ministerial Statement.

I have today laid before this House a copy of the Oversight Commissioner's first statutory report for the year 2005 which is being published today, in accordance with Section 68(4)(a) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. This is the fourth report compiled by Al Hutchinson as Oversight Commissioner and the 13th in the series of oversight reports published since 2001.

The Secretary of State and I welcomed the opportunity earlier this week to discuss the contents of the report with the Oversight Commissioner.

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