Iraq (Hansard, 9 July 2003)

§ 2. Claire Ward (Watford)
If he will make a statement on the progress with aid to Iraq. [124273]

§ The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Hilary Benn)
The Department for International Development's total financial commitment to humanitarian and reconstruction aid in Iraq now stands at £154 million. Most of that money is being channelled through organisations such as the United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement and non-governmental organisations, which have the capacity and expertise to mount operations on the ground. On 3 July, I placed in the Library details of that funding and the work that has been undertaken so far.

§ Claire Ward
I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, but does he share my concern that some of the basic forms of aid required by the Iraqi people are constant clean water and electricity supplies? The ability to have access to those will convince the Iraqi people that we are genuine in our desire to see their country improve and to see them take control of their country as quickly as possible. What can my hon. Friend do to ensure that we can get those electricity and water supplies back on, constantly, so that the people of Iraq have a decent life?

§ Hilary Benn
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the need to provide the basics, especially water and electricity, to the people of Iraq. Currently, there is no 1143 higher priority for the Coalition Provisional Authority than to ensure that that is the case. There are difficulties, however. First, there are historical difficulties, because of the legacy of under-investment in parts of the country, especially the south. Secondly, there are problems of security, with which the House will be familiar. Thirdly, sabotage and looting have undone some of the work that has already been undertaken. However, I can tell the House that, although Baghdad suffered a reduction in electricity supply two or three weeks ago—in part owing to sabotage and in part owing to the creaking infrastructure—the electricity supply is increasing again. None the less, we still have some way to go in order to meet the aspirations to which my hon. Friend has rightly drawn our attention.

§ Sandra Gidley (Romsey)
The Minister will be aware of UN resolution 1325, which seeks to improve the role of women not only in decision making but in aid distribution. What efforts have the UK Government made to ensure that women are working at grass-roots level, so that aid is delivered where it is most needed?

§ Hilary Benn
One of the UK Government's priorities is to support the process of involving women in all parts of civil society and political life in Iraq. Indeed, the women's conference—which is taking place this week, with help and financial support from DFID—is one of the ways in which we are trying to make that happen. An example of that working is that Baghdad city now has a council in place, and I think I am right in saying that six of its 37 members are women.

§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)
Given the problems of security, which my hon. Friend acknowledged in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Claire Ward), what ideas does he have on the help that we can give in terms of aid for the security situation, given that Iraqi trainee policemen were brutally murdered and that any Iraqi policeman who is seen to co-operate may—repeat, "may"—be in physical danger himself?

§ Hilary Benn
The investment that is being made in security is the highest priority, alongside the restoration of basic services. As hon. Members on both sides of the House will know, the people of Iraq are saying that the first priority is security, because without security we cannot make progress. Some 30,000 police officers have now reported back for work, but my hon. Friend rightly draws attention to the need for retraining, because policing a society that is no longer ruled by terror and fear is a very different challenge from what existed in Iraq for 25 years previously. I am afraid that the fact that those police officers, who had just completed their training, were tragically murdered last week illustrates that some people in Iraq do not want that process to succeed and are trying to undermine the efforts that are being made to restore security—the bedrock on which all future progress will be built.

§ Mrs. Caroline Spelman (Meriden)
At the Liaison Committee meeting yesterday, the Prime Minister denied that planning for the aftermath of the war in Iraq was poor, yet that very claim was made on 1 June, by the former Secretary of State for International 1144 Development, the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short). Who are we to believe? Does the Minister agree that the former Secretary of State should have the chance to give evidence to support her claim as part of the International Development Committee's inquiry into contingency planning for the war and its aftermath?

§ Hilary Benn
Who the International Development Committee chooses to call as a witness is entirely a matter for the Committee, not for me. On the substantive issue that the hon. Lady raises concerning preparation, as we discussed last week during the statement on Iraq, unquestionably the preparation that was made focused on the possible worst outcomes, which thankfully did not transpire. Of course there are lessons to be learned from what has happened, but I simply tell the hon. Lady that the priority for the moment is to get on with the job in hand; we can draw on those lessons later.