Written question asked by Harry Cohen (Labour) on Thursday, 3 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 March 2005. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 14 March 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the individuals detained in Iraq by coalition forces because of alleged connection with weapons of mass destruction programmes; how long each has been detained; when they are expected to be released; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the individuals detained in Iraq by coalition forces because of alleged connection with weapons of mass destruction programmes; how long each has been detained; when they are expected to be released; and if he will make a statement. [215145] Mr. Rammell: The Multi-National Force (MNF) has the power to intern individuals for imperative reasons of security in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and the annexed exchange of letters between Prime Minister Allawi and the then US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Each case of detention is regularly reviewed by the detaining power and a decision taken on whether continued detention is necessary. While the reasons for these decisions are recorded, they have not been collated in a form that would enable us to answer this question on behalf of all multi-national forces. We would not, as a matter of policy, in any case release the names of those who had been detained so as to respect their privacy and to ensure there were no security repercussions for them. We can, however, confirm that the United Kingdom is not detaining any individuals in Iraq on the basis of alleged connection with weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Secondary information