The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
copied to
me. I would also intend, diaries permitting, to join any meeting
which
Min(DP)
intends to hold on this topic.”
315.
In his witness
statement ACM Bagnall told the Inquiry that Mr Hoon had
asked
Lord
Bach:
“ … to be
his lead Minister for UORs and for DCDS(EC) to act as
Senior
Responsible
Owner (SRO) for UORs. This led to regular and increasingly
frequent
meetings
between the then Minister and his staffs and the then DCDS(EC) and
his
experts.
For my part I monitored the UOR process on CDS’ behalf and
intervened if
316.
Lord Bach told
the Inquiry:
“I was
asked by the Secretary of State, in the second half of January
2003, to take
temporary
responsibility for UORs. This involved being briefed by DCDS(EC)
[AM
Stirrup] in
writing, before chairing (for the most part) weekly meetings with
senior
officials
in order to look at progress of UORs that had already been agreed
between
MOD and
HMT. I played no part in determining what UORs should or should not
be
proceeded
with. Those decisions were taken at a stage well before their
progress
was looked
at by the Committee I chaired. I had played no role before the
request in
Jan 2003,
nor should I have. UORs were not the responsibility of Min DP: they
and
the Defence
Logistics Organisation were in the portfolio of Min AF
[Mr Ingram].”153
317.
Following his
statement to the House of Lords on 20 January, Lord Bach
was
advised on
22 January by Mr Williams that there was “not only no
need for him to clarify
the
statement made earlier this week about ‘desertisation’ but actual
disadvantage in
318.
Mr Williams
confirmed that only one, “relatively minor”, modification would
be
completed
before the vehicles deployed. He stated:
“On that
basis, if by ‘deployed’ the Minister meant the formal point at
which units
begin to
leave their main bases and embark for the Gulf, then his statement
on
Monday
would be misleading. I suspect, however, that Lord Bach meant the
point
at which UK
forces were likely to become engaged on offensive operations.
Given
the context
of the question and the fact that many Lords/MPs would not pick up
on
the formal
military interpretation of the term ‘deployed’, that is probably a
reasonable
position to
take. If that is the case, I do not judge that a public
clarification of the use
of the word
‘deployed’ is either necessary or would add much
value.”
152
Statement,
6 January 2011, page 3.
153
Statement,
22 December 2010, page 1.
154
Minute
Williams to PS/Minister(DP), 22 January 2003, ‘Op TELIC –
Challenge 2 ‘Desertisation’
UOR Activity’.
48