Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 11 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 January 2005. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 17 January 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the quality of the environment in Iraq (a) before the invasion by Coalition forces in March 2003 and (b) recently.

Answer: Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the quality of the environment in Iraq (a) before the invasion by Coalition forces in March 2003 and (b) recently. [208371] Mr. Rammell: It is not routine practice for the UK to carry out assessments of the quality of the environment in another country and no such assessment was carried out by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Iraq prior to, or post March 2003. The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing financial support to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for post- conflict environmental assessment work in Iraq, which includes technical assistance and capacity building for the Iraqi Environment Ministry. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is also providing financial support for a Liaison Officer for the Iraq Donors Group on the Marshlands and Environment Management, involving Iraq, UNEP and international donors.

Secondary information