Written question asked by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative) on Friday, 14 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 November 2008. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 November 2008 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Stabilisation Unit

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the Stabilisation Unit's performance against its aim of getting SMARTer at delivering key enablers in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan.

Answer: The UK Government have made significant progress in the past year, to ensure that key enablers (transport, accommodation, communications, and close protection) are in place in Afghanistan and Iraq.In Afghanistan, the UK Government have leased a Beechcraft to provide a 'shuttle run' between Kabul and Lashkar Gah and to increase our reach elsewhere in the country. We expect to increase this capability in this next year. Access to rotary assets has improved but remains perhaps the greatest constraint on civilian movement. There are now sufficient vehicles in theatre (or on order) to meet the requirement. The construction of permanent office and personal accommodation for civilian teams in Sangin, Musa Qala, Gereshk and Garmsir has enabled the UK Government to dramatically improve their engagement with communities to deliver the UK strategy in Helmand.A visit by FCO Operations Group to Afghanistan this month will assess future requirements, across platform and transport.Our engagement in Iraq is more established, and we have the assets in place to fulfil our mission.The Stabilisation Unit maintains a rapidly-deployable expeditionary capability including armoured vehicles, deployable accommodation, and communications. We will be reviewing this capability early next year to identify any possible enhancements required.

Secondary information