Written question asked by Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative) on Wednesday, 30 January 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 February 2008. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Monday, 4 February 2008 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Afghanistan

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to promote the safety of his Department's employees operating in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The safety and security of all staff in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq is a top priority for DFID. We take all possible measures to ensure this including, where appropriate, providing hardened accommodation and office facilities, and specialist training for staff. DFID staff and consultants are covered by Foreign and Commonwealth Office security management procedures. Current security provisions are under constant review in order to ensure we provide maximum safety to our staff. Each and every security incident is considered carefully, and we have already made a number of enhancements to our security provisions as a result of recent incidents.

Secondary information