Written question asked by Barry Gardiner (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 September 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 September 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Thursday, 18 September 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of how long it will take to clear unexploded ordnance in Iraq. - Inc figures.

Answer: Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of how long it will take to clear unexploded ordnance in Iraq. [129863] Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom and other Coalition Armed Forces and Non-Governmental Organisation teams have been engaged in Explosive Ordnance Disposal tasks since before the end of the conflict in Iraq. To date, UK and other Coalition Explosive Ordnance Disposal Teams in the UK Area of Operation have completed over 1,500 tasks and destroyed over 500,000 individual munitions. Those munitions include not only those dropped or fired by Coalition Forces, but also many from the Iraq-Iran war as well as mines laid, ordnance fired or dropped, and stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces. It is not yet possible to say either what percentage of unexploded munitions have been cleared nor when all the work will be completed.

Secondary information