To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since October 2002 coalition aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone in Iraq have (a) detected violations of the no-fly zones, (b) detected a direct threat to a coalition aircraft and (c) responded in self defence; how much ordnance was released in each month since October 2002; and if he will make a statement. [99714]

[holding answer 3 March 2003]: The information requested is only currently available up to the end of January. No-fly zone (NFZ) violations are detected in several ways, though rarely by tactical aircraft. The number of violations recorded, by month, in the southern no-fly zone, is as follows:

	Number
October 2002	2
November 2002	2
December 2002	9
January 2003	2

Coalition aircraft recorded threats on a total of 113 occasions, as follows
	Number
October 2002	14
November 2002	48
December	18
January 2003	33

Coalition aircraft in the southern NFZ responded in self defence against Iraqi Air Defence targets on 41 occasions in the period, and released 128.4 tons of ordnance.

Responses conducted in self defence
	Number
October 2002	6
November 2002	10
December 2002	13
January 2003	12

Tonnage of ordance released
	Number
October 2002	17.7
November 2002	33.6
December 2002	53.2
January 2003	23.9