To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidance has been issued to the Royal Navy on engaging pirates. (242820)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 9 December 2008, Official Report, column 54W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy ships are undertaking anti-piracy patrols; and on how many occasions in the last 10 years the Royal Navy has engaged suspected pirates. (242821)

We have two Royal Navy vessels currently on counter-piracy operations. We do not hold records of the number of occasions the RN have engaged with suspected pirates over the last 10 years. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) on 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 670W, on the number of such incidents in the last three months.