15.1 | Civilian
personnel
50.
In Iraq, the
MOD also deployed civilians in advisory roles outside Op
TELIC,
including
in the CPA and the UK’s bilateral diplomatic missions.
51.
On 14 February
2003, Mr John Pitt‑Brooke, MOD Director General
Civilian
Personnel,
reported that the MOD had been “successful in getting people lined
up for
quick
deployment into theatre”.30
There were
about 25 Permanent Joint Headquarters
(PJHQ)‑sponsored
civilian posts across the Middle East. Some individuals had
already
deployed;
others would do so over the following weeks. Other parts of the MOD
would
be
deploying specialist staff to their own timetable.
52.
Mr Pitt‑Brooke
expressed concern that the approach to deployments
across
departments
within the MOD had not been as consistent or coherent as it should
have
been. Key
issues were:
•
Management
information: there was no central record of those
deployed,
“which we
need for tracking people in theatre, providing the appropriate
medical
and welfare
support, etc. We are working on gripping this
quickly”.
•
Risk
assessment: individuals needed more clarity about potential risks.
A single
source of
guidance needed to be published urgently.
•
Training:
the approach had been inconsistent.
•
Availability
of equipment: current arrangements were “less than the
individual
has a right
to expect”.
•
Briefing
and travel allowance arrangements.
•
Medical,
welfare and insurance issues: “The lack of consistent, readily
available
advice on
medical issues … and the lack of a single point of contact for
advice
may be
aspects that we could improve upon.”
53.
Mr Pitt‑Brooke
advised that a new “focal point” had been set up in PJHQ to
address
those
issues. New arrangements would be in place on 19
February.
54.
In response,
Sir Kevin Tebbit, the MOD PUS, instructed officials to “bear
in mind the
need for
wider post‑conflict planning. OGDs sh[oul]d bear the brunt, but we
are likely to
need MOD
people as well.” 31
55.
On 31 March,
Mr Paul Flaherty, MOD Civil Secretary at PJHQ, informed
Sir Kevin
that 156
civilians had been deployed to theatre in support of Op TELIC, the
largest
number in
the Warship Support Agency, and that numbers fluctuated from day to
day.32
56.
It had taken
Mr Flaherty 18 days to compile the figures. He apologised that
it had
taken
longer than he had hoped.
30
Minute
Pitt‑Brooke to 2nd PUS, 14 February 2003, ‘Operation TELIC:
Civilian Participation’.
31
Manuscript
comment Tebbit, 17 February, on Minute
Pitt‑Brooke to 2nd PUS [MOD], 14 February 2003,
‘Operation
TELIC: Civilian Participation’.
32
Minute
Flaherty to PS/PUS [MOD], 31 March 2003, ‘Deployed Civilians in
Support of OP TELIC’.
253