Written question asked by Tony Baldry (Conservative) on Monday, 31 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 April 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 7 April 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate has been made of the number of troops required to deliver humanitarian relief in Iraq. - No figures.

Answer: Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate has been made of the number of troops required to deliver humanitarian relief in Iraq. [106845] Mr. Ingram: We have made very clear our commitment to the welfare and future of the people of Iraq, and United Kingdom forces will continue to deliver humanitarian relief to the full extent of their capability where it is needed and it is safe for them to do so. This is not, however, the primary role of our forces, which are structured for warfighting. As soon as the security situation stabilises enough for civilian aid agencies to deploy fully, we will hand responsibility for humanitarian assistance over to them.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 106845; 403 c9-10W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Armed forces Development aid Distribution Iraq Staff Iraq conflict
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk