Extract from Hansard
House of Commons
Monday 28th November
(Mr Speaker in the Chair)
Oral or Written Questions for Answer
Written Answers
Mr Charles Capet (Rutland South) (Con):
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will comment on a report in the Daily Telegraph concerning an explosion at a military installation in western Iran. Will he comment as to the possible involvement in this event of a team from 41 Commando (RM) to which I referred in a previous question laid before this House? Will he once again look into the whereabouts of Captain Robert Matthews, as I requested in a previous question to him? And will he comment as to what, if any, measures are being taken to ensure the safe return of Captain Matthews to his regiment?
The Secretary of State (Mr John Davidson) [holding answer]:
We have looked into the alleged explosion at an alleged military installation in western Iran. We are informed by the Iranian authorities that there was an industrial accident at a factory producing dental floss which unfortunately led to the deaths of 127 employees. We are informed that no third parties were involved in this incident and, given that the products of that factory are reported by the Iranian government to be solely concerned with dental hygiene (and not the reprocessing of nuclear waste, as reported in the Daily Telegraph), we believe the event is not a concern for this government. Accordingly, we have conveyed the deepest sympathies of HMG to the government of Iran and have no further official interest in the matter. With respect to the whereabouts of Captain Robert Matthews, I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answer to the previous question he raised.
Mr Charles Capet:
To ask the Secretary of State if he is, indeed, the only man in the United Kingdom to believe the official Iranian explanation for the devastating explosion in western Iran? To ask if he continues to deny the involvement of British forces, which, it is widely believed, were involved in an operation in that area? To ask, once again, if he will not bring relief to the distressed friends and relations of Captain Robert Matthews by stating whether he believes Captain Matthews to be alive or dead, and if he is alive, to state his whereabouts?
The Secretary of State:
If the honourable gentleman will look at the website of the MoD on the page ‘Operation Telic 2’ tomorrow, he will find, regrettably, that Captain Matthews is now posted, or will be posted, as ‘Missing in Action’.