Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Williams of Crosby (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 21 November 2005.

Iraq: Women and Religious Minorities

Question: My Lords, we on these Benches express our deep sympathy with the family of the soldier who has sadly lost his life in Basra, and with the families of the two brave and gallant women police constables who were shot in Bradford. The Minister answered the previous question by saying that he had no evidence of discrimination. I press him further. Are steps taken to ensure that in the recruitment and—especially—the training of police services in Iraq, young men and women are told about the dangers of discrimination, particularly sectarian and gender discrimination? It looks a little as though the police forces have, to say the least, been somewhat infiltrated by powerful sectarian groups.

Answer: My Lords, in the training missions which we operate with the police forces being recruited—we, of course, are principally concerned with recruitment in the south of the country—we make every provision to ensure that there is anti-discriminatory training. It may well take some time for those lessons to take root. There has been a particular effort, however, to recruit women into the police force, including specialist women and those who can deal with the juvenile detention unit in Basra. I chart not success or complacency, but the beginning of a long process in which those ingredients must be focal.

Secondary information