Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 17 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 May 2007. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Thursday, 24 May 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Security Guards

Question: (2) how many individuals in Iraq were killed by employees of (a) UK-registered and (b) other private military companies in each year since the invasion.

Answer: [holding answer 22 May 2007]: We keep records only of incidents involving private military security companies (PMSCs) working directly for the Government. We do not keep records of incidents involving other UK mainland registered companies or foreign companies working in Iraq.The PMSCs which operate or have operated for the Government in Iraq (ArmorGroup, GardaWorld and Control Risks Group) have been responsible for no contraventions of Coalition Provisional Authority Memorandum Number 17. There has been one Iraqi fatality as a result of a road traffic accident in Erbil on 8 March. A pedestrian was struck by a PMSC vehicle while crossing a busy road in heavy traffic. The incident was fully investigated by the local authorities and no charges were bought.

Secondary information