Written question asked by Glenda Jackson (Labour) on Wednesday, 14 May 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 September 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 8 September 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of British forces in Iraq are engaged in making safe unexploded ordnance; how many devices have been disarmed; and what other agencies are assisting in this work. - Including figures. (Holding answer 19 May 2003).

Answer: Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of British forces in Iraq are engaged in making safe unexploded ordnance; how many devices have been disarmed; and what other agencies are assisting in this work. [114516] Mr. Ingram :[holding answer 19 May 2003]: The United Kingdom currently has 10 Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in Iraq consisting of 99 personnel. As at 4 September some 116,000 individual items of unexploded ordnance had been cleared. We estimate that over 220,000 rounds of small arms ammunition have also been cleared. The vast majority of unexploded ordnance is of Iraqi origin. A number of Non-Governmental Organisations have been conducting EOD clearance under the supervision of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Team, including Minetech and Intersos.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 114516; 410 c46W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Armed forces Deployment Bomb disposal Iraq Non-governmental organisations
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk