Written question asked by David Leslie Taylor (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 July 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 July 2006. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Monday, 24 July 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in southern Iraq.

Answer: The four provinces covered by Multi-National Division (South East) remain relatively quiet compared to other areas of Iraq, accounting for around 4 per cent. of all attacks. The security situation in Basra, however, continues to cause concern. To address the problems in the province, the Iraqi Government, has announced a security plan for Basra. I discussed the plan with Prime Minister Maliki this morning. The plan is in its early stages but has already resulted in increased presence of Iraqi security forces—with more to come.Elsewhere in MND(South East) the security situation is more positive. Our progress with security and training of the Iraqi security forces was a factor in making Al Muthanna province the first where responsibility for security was handed over to Iraqi control. I expect Maysan and Dhi Qar provinces to follow suit before the end of this year, once the conditions on the ground are right.

Secondary information