Written question asked by Harry Cohen (Labour) on Thursday, 6 May 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 September 2004. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 September 2004 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes he has proposed to the way in which UK forces keep Iraqi prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he has proposed to the way in which UK forces keep Iraqi prisoners; and if he will make a statement. [172302] Mr. Ingram: Guidance on prisoner handling is contained in Joint Warfare Publication 1 to 10 (Prisoner of War Handling). It emphasises that prisoners are at all times to be treated in accordance with the relevant Geneva protocols. We keep the procedures for prisoner handling in Iraq under constant review but there are no amendments currently planned to the Standard Operating Instructions. The only amendment to the SOIs to date was in September 2003 when instructions were issued that all prisoner hooding was to cease. A number of minor changes have been made to the procedures in place at the UK's Temporary Divisional Detention Facility in Shaibah, including for example adapting the arrangements for internees' laundry and meeting some dietary requirements stemming from religious beliefs.

Secondary information