Between 1 January 2001 and 30 September 2022, a total of 2,170 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel were medically discharged with a principal or contributory cause of hearing loss/damage, of which 1,455 had been previously deployed to either Afghanistan and/or Iraq. The breakdown of the figure is provided below:

1,119 had been deployed to Afghanistan.

839 had been deployed to Iraq.

Personnel may have deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq therefore the breakdown cannot be summed. The medical discharges included in this response cannot be attributed to deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. This means that the hearing loss/damage may not have been sustained when on deployment and the subsequent medical discharge may have occurred a number of years after deployment.

Following the end of combat operations in Iraq in 2009, the Army Honours and Distinctions Committee reviewed the campaign to assess the awarding of honours. Having considered that assessment, the Army decided that the campaign post TELIC 1 did not, in its view, qualify for honours. To date, the Army has not asked the Committee to review the campaign in Afghanistan.

​The British Government is in regular dialogue with the Iraqi business community, and with Iraqi citizens living in the UK, about our common wish to deepen the UK-Iraq relationship and promote closer ties between British and Iraqi businesses. As part of this engagement, in December 2019, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East participated in the Iraq Britain Business Council Conference in Dubai to discuss opportunities in Iraq's energy, infrastructure, water and transport sectors.

What recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Members of the Kurdish community in Newport have contacted me as they are very concerned that the recent vote in the Iraqi Parliament on expelling foreign forces will leave the Kurdish people, scarred by war over many years, even more vulnerable. What will Ministers do to act on their behalf?

The security situation in Iraq is deeply worrying. The threat from Daesh remains, and the recent attacks by Shi’a military groups on diplomatic premises are unacceptable, as is the use of disproportionate force against demonstrators. We are committed to supporting the Government of Iraq to face its profound security challenges. The Prime Minister reaffirmed that with his Iraqi counterpart on 5 January, and we stand ready to work with the new Prime Minister Mohammed Allawi.

​The UK is working actively to support continued peace, stability and democracy in Iraq following recent events. Since early January Ministers have engaged closely with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including Iraqi President Salih, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul-Mehdi, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hakim and KRG Prime Minister Barzani. In his conversation with his Iraqi counterpart on 6 January, the Prime Minister reaffirmed our strong support for Iraq's sovereignty and security. We have also reiterated the continued importance of the Global Coalition's role in supporting the Iraqi security forces including the Kurdish Peshmerga to prevent any resurgence of Daesh. The UK continues its support for the consolidation of democracy in Iraq including the Kurdistan Region. In light of ongoing protests in Iraq, we have encouraged political dialogue and emphasised the need to respect the right to peaceful protest.

​The UK is working actively to support continued peace, stability and democracy in Iraq following recent events. Since early January Ministers have engaged closely with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including Iraqi President Salih, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul-Mehdi, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hakim and KRG Prime Minister Barzani. In his conversation with his Iraqi counterpart on 6 January, the Prime Minister reaffirmed our strong support for Iraq's sovereignty and security. We have also reiterated the continued importance of the Global Coalition's role in supporting the Iraqi security forces including the Kurdish Peshmerga to prevent any resurgence of Daesh. The UK continues its support for the consolidation of democracy in Iraq including the Kurdistan Region. In light of ongoing protests in Iraq, we have encouraged political dialogue and emphasised the need to respect the right to peaceful protest.

The UK has committed approximately £94 million to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund since 2015. In 2018, the UK contributed £13 million to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund. That year, the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund allocated $3.2 million to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq of a total of $36.6 million (including other donor funding). This equates to roughly 9% of Pooled Fund allocations to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

DFID has committed £261m in humanitarian support to Iraq since 2014, providing a vital lifeline to millions with shelter, medical care and clean water.

The Defence Secretary updated Parliament on this issue as part of his statement on 7 January. The safety and security of HMG personnel is of paramount importance and we keep our force protection measures under constant review.

It is critical that humanitarian actors can operate safely and without restrictions in Iraq. We are working closely with partners to ensure that there is no interruption to delivery, especially to those who remain displaced by the conflict against Daesh. DFID has committed £261m in humanitarian support to Iraq since 2014, providing a vital lifeline to millions with shelter, medical care and clean water.

The Government has developed a close bilateral relationship with Iraq, including hosting a successful visit by President Salih in July and ensuring regular ministerial contact since. I met the Iraqi Ambassador yesterday and spoke to Iraqi Foreign Minister Al-Hakim this morning. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Prime Minister Abdul Mehdi last month. In each conversation we have raised our concerns about the handling of the recent protests, urging restraint and proportionality.

Any decision in relation to the continued detention, transfer or prosecution of detainees is ultimately a matter for authorities under whose jurisdiction the individuals are detained. The British Government is clear that those individuals who have fought for, or supported Daesh, whatever their nationality, should face justice through a fair trial in the most appropriate jurisdiction. The UK will work with international partners, as well as partners in the region who can assist in establishing an appropriate pathway to justice within their territory or legal systems. Any internationally-supported justice mechanism must respect human rights and the rule of law as well as ensure fair trials and due process.

The UK has significant human rights concerns about trials of Daesh-related suspects in domestic courts of Iraq and regime-held areas of Syria including the use of the death penalty, which the UK opposes in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.

​Any decision in relation to the continued detention, transfer or prosecution of detainees is ultimately a matter for authorities under whose jurisdiction the individuals are detained. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We have human rights concerns relating to the trials in Iraq's domestic courts of Iraqi nationals suspected of support for Daesh: we regularly raise these concerns, including our opposition to the death penalty, with the Iraqi authorities.

The UK is supporting the development of inclusive and representative reconciliation processes, involving Yazidis and other minorities, at both national and community levels in Iraq, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. We have also contributed £23.5 million to the UN's Funding Facility for Stabilisation, which is helping to rebuild and develop inclusive local governance in areas liberated from Daesh, including those to which Yazidis are returning. To support the efforts to promote the truth of Daesh's crimes, in July we announced a further £1 million to the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh which is investigating, among other incidents, the atrocities committed against the Yazidi community in Sinjar province.

​We are committed to supporting the rights of the Yazidi community, like other minority groups, in Iraq and Syria and assisting them to overcome the appalling suffering they faced from Daesh. We support the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced members of the Yazidi community to areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq and continue to engage with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on this. I discussed this with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim on 25 June. We have also contributed £23.5 million to the UN's Funding Facility for Stabilisation to help Iraq rebuild liberated areas to enable return. In north-east Syria, DFID supports UN and other humanitarian agencies to provide life-saving aid to displaced persons, including Yazidis. This assistance includes healthcare; child protection and education; and emergency supplies such as shelter and food.

​We are committed to supporting the rights of the Yazidi community, like other minority groups, in Iraq and Syria and assisting them to overcome the appalling suffering they faced from Daesh. We support the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced members of the Yazidi community to areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq and continue to engage with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on this. I discussed this with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim on 25 June. We have also contributed £23.5 million to the UN's Funding Facility for Stabilisation to help Iraq rebuild liberated areas to enable return. In north-east Syria, DFID supports UN and other humanitarian agencies to provide life-saving aid to displaced persons, including Yazidis. This assistance includes healthcare; child protection and education; and emergency supplies such as shelter and food.

​The UK has provided significant support to survivors of sexual violence, including Yazidis, in both Iraq and Syria.

Besides humanitarian assistance, UK support to survivors of sexual violence in Iraq has been primarily through the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD), to which the UK has contributed £2 million. UNITAD has a stand-alone Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Children's Unit, created to address the unique gender aspects of Daesh crimes; a Victim and Witness Support Unit, which has developed a strategy to incorporate safeguards and protections for vulnerable groups; and psychologists to provide support to victims and witnesses.

In Syria we have supported many efforts to assist survivors of sexual violence. These include projects to map and vet support services for survivors of sexual violence; train doctors to provide forensic medical reports; produce in depth case files on the Daesh slave trade; and train first responders for child and adult survivors. We have also allocated nearly £30 million to the UN Population Fund to help reduce and mitigate gender-based violence and provide life-saving sexual and reproductive health services.

As part of the UK's continued global leadership on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UK will host an International Conference in November entitled "Time for Justice: Putting Survivors First" to galvanise the world into further action.

British Embassy Baghdad made an assessment in May 2019 on the situation of Yazidis that were returning or seeking to return to their home areas. This was informed by a visit by the British Ambassador to Baghdad, Jon Wilks, to Yazidi areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and discussions with Yazidi leaders and IDPs. The principal Yazidi concerns as expressed to the Embassy were physical safety, including related to the behaviour of state security actors; justice for the victims of Daesh; and restoration of services, including reconstruction and psycho-social support. We continue to encourage and support progress on all these issues.

​The UK is committed to promoting and protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief across Iraq. The importance of religious tolerance and diversity was a major subject of discussion during the visit of Iraqi President, Barham Salih, to the UK in June, and in my meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim on 25 June. To support the return of displaced members of Iraq's Christian communities, we have committed £23.15 million to the UN's Funding Facility for Stabilisation which is helping Iraq to rebuild territory, including predominately Christian areas, liberated from Daesh.