§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 18 September,Official Report, column 870W, on Iraq, whether the (a) chairman and (b) members of the (i) Intelligence and Security Committee, (ii) Defence and (iii) Foreign Affairs Select Committees were invited to comment on the content of the Iraq dossier before it was published. [131915]
§ The Prime MinisterAs I said in my reply to my hon. Friend on 18 September, all three chairmen were briefed on the content of the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction dossier by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee on 19 September 2002, shortly before it was published.
234WIn addition, I invited Ann Taylor to see it in advance of the briefing to the whole Intelligence and Security Committee and to pass comment if she wished.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the advice which he received before the conflict on the impact of a military offensive against Iraq on the incidence of terrorism. [131993]
§ The Prime MinisterThe assessment I received was that the greatest terrorist threat to Western interests came from al-Qaeda and related groups, and that this threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq. This assessment informed the Ministry of Defence's planning for military action, as well as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's consular planning and in the published 'Travel Advice.
When I took the decision that military action would be required to ensure that Iraq complied with United Nations Security Council Resolutions, I had to weigh all the factors, including the possible short term risk of increased terrorism, against the longer term risks of rogue states developing weapons of mass destruction.