§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's contribution to tourism development in Iraq. [176033]
§ Hilary BennAs part of a-wider plan of development assistance to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Southern Iraq, DFID has funded a secondee who, working in close partnership with the Iraqis is supporting the identification of basic infrastructure requirements for sustainable development in the tourism an heritage sector; taking forward the Archaeological Sites Protection Project in the Southern Provinces; and facilitating the re-establishment of the A196W Merbad Festival, a folklore festival initiated 1,600 years ago, and effectively stopped under the previous regime. This secondment has just been completed.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism was one of the first Iraqi Government Departments to return to autonomous control, and this technical assistance will help the Iraqi Government respond quickly to the needs of the sector.