---

Iraq (Basra Incident)

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his expressions of condolence. I also thank him for his manifest support for our objectives in southern Iraq and for his often-articulated appreciation of the dedication and courage of our armed forces. He has raised a number of issues, and I shall endeavour, within the state of my current knowledge, to respond to them. Incidentally, I also thank him for welcoming me to my new position. We shall have the opportunity to share the challenges that we face together at some time in the future, and I look forward to working with him. The hon. Gentleman asked about the sufficiency of troops. He can be reassured that my first task on Saturday morning, as the tragic circumstances in Basra started to unfold on my television screen—as they did on others across the country—was to make inquiries about the sufficiency of our troops. Having spoken directly to those who command our troops in southern Iraq, and to the service chiefs, I have confirmed that none of them believes that our armed forces are insufficient for the operations with which we have tasked them in southern Iraq. The hon. Gentleman also asked about support, should it be necessary. I commented on that issue in the media over the weekend, and I can reassure him that there are dedicated reserves available for Iraq, should they need to be deployed. The deployment of troops to Iraq, or to any other theatre, will depend on the advice of those who know best, namely those who lead our armed forces. The hon. Gentleman mentioned the capabilities of our equipment, and in particular of the Lynx helicopter. As I said in my statement, a board of inquiry will ensue, and it will be informed by the investigation that is now taking place. I am not in a position to pre-judge that inquiry, and I would not seek to do so to any extent at the Dispatch Box. I will say to the hon. Gentleman, however, that we will respond to the recommendations of the board of inquiry in the same way that we have sought to respond to the recommendations of any such board in the past. I can also give him an assurance that we will implement the recommendations of any such board of inquiry. However, it would be speculation at this stage to suggest that anything relating to the capability of the equipment made a contribution to the circumstances of the incident. The hon. Gentleman asked about our relationships with the provincial authorities, and I am clearly able to say that they are improving. They were improving in any event, never mind the incident that took place on Saturday. It is of some reassurance to me that, despite the incident on Saturday, the meetings that were planned to progress those relationships took place in any event and had the outcome that I have described to the House. The hon. Gentleman asked, in particular, whether my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will raise with the Iraqi Government the issue of the provincial governor in Basra. I assure the hon. Gentleman that the former Foreign Secretary raised this very issue on more than one occasion with the provisional Government in Iraq, and I have absolutely no doubt that my right hon. Friend the current Foreign Secretary will do exactly the same thing should she have the opportunity to do so. Finally, the hon. Gentleman asked about the provenance of the weaponry that may have been in the hands of the crowd. We are still in the early stage of the review of the circumstances and, as I understand it, the troops who were present have not been fully debriefed, so I am not in a position to speculate on that issue. However, when my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Defence discovered the provenance of improvised explosive devices, he told the House and the public of the United Kingdom of their provenance. I would intend to do the same if such information became available to me.