Written question asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Malloch-Brown (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 May 2009.

Private Military Companies

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they make of private military companies in operations in countries where United Kingdom forces are deployed; and what is the chain of command in respect to the use of such companies.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently use five private military and security companies (PMSCs) in both Iraq and Afghanistan to fulfil a number of roles including close protection, static guarding, police mentoring and intelligence analysis. Our current contracts provide a rigorous framework to ensure the highest standards of conduct from the PMSCs we contract. The chain of command is through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and embassy officials on the ground in both countries.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3101; 710 c106WA
Session: 2008-09
Related items: Peacekeeping Operations: Private Sector
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Contracts Iraq Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan Private military and security companies
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk