§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What activities are being conducted by the United Nations in the area of Iraq for which the United Kingdom is responsible; what numbers of personnel, sites and vehicles these activities involve; and what views the United Nations has expressed to the United Kingdom authorities as to the sufficiency or otherwise of these security arrangements. [HL4426]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe UN has one official in Basra responsible for overseeing the deployment in the immediate future of a five-to-six person UN liaison detachment. The UN has plans for an increase to 10 or 12 staff over the next two months, to include political, electoral and humanitarian staff. The UN is currently providing humanitarian assistance in the south from offices in Baghdad, Amman and Kuwait and through local staff in Iraq. Regular discussions continue between us, the UN and US officials to ensure adequate security arrangements for the UN throughout Iraq.