Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Luke (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 22 February 2010.

Afghanistan: Improvised Explosive Devices

Question: My Lords, first, we associate ourselves with the condolences read out by the Minister concerning the casualties in Afghanistan. Given the very grave public concern surrounding the improvised explosive device threat, can the Minister be a little more specific about the work being undertaken in the UK, and with our NATO allies, to deal with the IED threat, and the timescales to which they are working?

Answer: My Lords, I cannot be very specific about the work that is going on, because by its nature it has to be kept somewhat confidential so that we do not put our troops under unnecessary threat. However, I can assure the noble Lord and indeed the House that everything possible is being done. One of the most significant initiatives was the tiger team set up by the MoD last year to bring together the best brains from industry and the scientific community, inviting new ideas and then evaluating them. That is a very exciting project. It is ongoing because the threat is developing all the time. Although we are sharing that information with the United States, which is very interested in it, it is important to realise that this is not a one-off event of trying to find something that will counter all IEDs in future. We have to adapt our technology because the nature of the problem that we face is evolving, and we have to try to anticipate what the next steps should be. It is an exceptionally high priority for everybody in the military and the MoD.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 717 c808-9
Session: 2009-10
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Defence equipment Bomb disposal Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan ISAF Improvised explosive devices
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk