Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Monday, 29 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 December 2010. It was answered by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 16 December 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Piracy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on rules of engagement in counter-piracy operations.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.As a participant in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the UK has discussions with partners on the legal questions and concerns affecting the international response to Somali piracy. These have included the appropriate use of force in counter piracy operations, although rules of engagement themselves are not discussed.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had no recent discussions with its international counterparts on the rules of engagement in counter-piracy operations because this is primarily a military matter. Therefore the matter is one which the Ministry of Defence leads on rather than the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK operates with a number of international partners on counter-piracy operations including the European Union's Operation Atalanta, NATO's Operation Ocean Shield and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and operational tactics are discussed regularly as part of this. Our rules of engagement are shared with our coalition partners as necessary to improve international co-ordination.

Secondary information