Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Thursday, 8 May 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 May 2008. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Thursday, 15 May 2008 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Iraq: Education

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken on the development of education in Iraq since 2003.

Answer: Since 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any direct financial assistance to develop the education sector in Iraq. However, we have contributed £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which encompasses two trust funds administered by the United Nations and World Bank. 25 donors have committed over $1.8 billion to IRFFI since 2003. This money has been used to provide assistance to a range of sectors and development projects across Iraq, including projects to rehabilitate schools, provide essential text books and train Iraqi teachers.DFID's wider priority is to support the Iraqi Government to spend its considerable oil wealth more effectively—to provide sustained improvements to the lives of the Iraqi people. We are therefore working with both central and local government institutions to help them to manage and disburse their finances—which will give the Iraqi Government the ability to provide better public services and to take a lead in developing their own education system.

Secondary information