Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 July 2005. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Monday, 12 September 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the count of civilian deaths and casualties in Iraq by (a) the Iraq Body Count, (b) the Lancet Study and (c) the Iraq Living Conditions Survey; and what effect these counts have had on procedures for casualty counts used by UK and allied forces.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.There has been no 100 per cent. reliable and accurate assessment of casualties in Iraq over the last two years. Estimates vary according to the methods used. Reliance on media reporting used in the Iraq Body Count (IBC) Report cannot give an entirely accurate portrayal of civilian casualties in Iraq. We believe the Iraqi Government is best-placed to monitor the deaths of its civilians, and the latest statistics from the Iraqi Ministry of Health were given by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) in reply to the noble Lord, Lord Garden on 8 June 2005, Official Report, column 67W, and we understand that these figures were used in the IBC Report. The casualty figures indicated in the UN Living Conditions Survey appear broadly in line with those in the IBC Report. The UK Government response to The Lancet survey is given in my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written statement of 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 92–95WS.These counts have had no effect on casualty counts used by UK forces as UK military reporting is conducted as part of standard military procedure and is not an attempt to carry out a comprehensive survey of civilian casualties. Detailed operational information for our coalition partners is a matter for their own authorities to answer.

Secondary information