Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 10 October 2005.

Iraq: Security Forces

Question: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply, but clearly the security forces in southern Iraq have been seriously penetrated by insurgents. Can the Minister comment on reports that the Secretary of State is planning to scrap the police force there and replace it with a military-style unit capable of enforcing stability? Have the Government considered how practicable that is?

Answer: No, my Lords, I have no understanding that that is our intention. It is true, as we recognise, that some elements of the Iraqi police service have been penetrated by individuals, as the noble Lord describes. However, we should keep it in perspective. The majority of policemen in the Iraqi police service support the march of Iraq towards democracy. We should avoid tarring the whole of the Iraqi police service with the same brush as we tackle, with the Iraqi Government, the elements that the noble Lord described.

Secondary information