Written question asked by Glenda Jackson (Labour) on Monday, 11 October 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 October 2004. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Thursday, 21 October 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many Iraqi nationals are employed in reconstruction programmes funded by (a) UK and (b) EU aid. - Inc figures.

Answer: Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Iraqi nationals are employed in reconstruction programmes funded by (a) UK and (b) EU aid. [191002] Hilary Benn: DFID's reconstruction programme in the south has employed a number of Iraqi nationals. For example the Emergency Infrastructure Programme employed 3,000 workers to carry out the manual excavation of trenches for 120 kilometres of water mains in Basra city. DFID's Southern Iraq Employment and Services Programme (SIESP) aims to generate up to 1.75 million days of employment in Iraq's southern governorates by February 2005. DFID also finances the work of a number of non-governmental organisations (NGO's), which employ Iraqis. The EU has provided its contribution to Iraq through mechanisms such as the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq and NGOs. DFID does not have information on how many Iraqis have been employed as a result of these contributions.

Secondary information