The Government does not hold figures for the number of former military personnel from Saddam Hussein’s regime that joined Daesh. However, there are credible reports of several ex-Ba’athist senior military officials and personnel with weapons expertise having joined Daesh.

The Government has not made an estimate of the number of Iraqis killed as a result of terrorism and war-related violence since 2003. While the security situation in Iraq has greatly improved since violence peaked in 2006-2007, Iraqi civilians have been victim to Daesh’s atrocities since the summer of 2014. We utterly condemn such violence and call for those responsible to be brought to justice. The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Iraq as it works to defeat Daesh and put Iraq on the path to long-term peace and stability.

We are aware that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is on the ground in both advisory and combat roles in Iraq and that Iran is providing significant funding, training and equipment to elements of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Along with our international partners, the UK has consistently made clear that there is a role for all of Iraq’s neighbours in helping defeat Daesh. We have no difficulty with contributions from around the region to the goal of ridding Iraq of the Daesh threat, provided that those contributions are authorised by the Iraqi government. We will continue to work closely with our international partners to encourage all of Iraq’s neighbours to play a transparent and constructive role in its affairs.

We are supporting the Iraqi government in its efforts to unite Iraq’s communities against Daesh and extremism, rebuild public trust in the Iraqi state and deliver the services and opportunities which all Iraqis want and deserve. We welcome the commitments that the Government of Iraq has made to inclusivity, to protecting Iraqi citizens, to addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account.

There are now more than 3 million internally displaced people in Iraq. We have committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian effort in Iraq to help those who have fled Daesh’s brutality, and are the largest donor to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-managed Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund.

We are contributing £6 million to the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation, to help the Iraqi government stabilise areas recently liberated from Daesh and re-establish security, basic services and inclusive local governance. We will provide funding for a number of projects designed to support community cohesion and encourage reconciliation, acceptance and tolerance between communities at a grass roots level.

Figures for the number of British parliamentarians who have visited (1) Sudan, (2) Syria, (3) Iran, and (4) Iraq, in the last five years are not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As Parliamentarians are not obliged to inform the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of their travel commitments, any figures held by overseas posts may not be accurate. The FCO has not made any assessment of the impact of the implementation of HR158 under the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015 by US authorities on travel by parliamentarians to these countries

There are credible reports that Daesh have used chemical weapons in Iraq. We cannot confirm these reports with certainty, but we would condemn any such attack unreservedly. We are continuing to monitor these allegations very closely. Such behaviour would be consistent with Daesh’s record of complete disregard for human rights and international humanitarian law. The Government of Iraq is investigating allegations of chemical weapon use in Iraq by non-state actors with support from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

We are aware of allegations that Daesh attacked the village of Taza on the morning of 8 March 2016 with a chemical agent, possibly sulphur mustard. There have been reports of multiple casualties, including the death of a young girl. We unreservedly condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is supporting the Government of Iraq to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-state actors. The UK is at the forefront of pressing for an effective international response to the use of chemical weapons through the UN Security Council and the OPCW.

We are aware of reports that Turkmen civilians have been targeted by Daesh in Iraq, as well as Christians, Yazidis, Muslims and others. In October the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), met the President of the Iraqi Turkmen Front to discuss the situation for Turkmen in Iraq.

We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of all communities by Daesh. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional government to do all they can to ensure the security and rights of all Iraqis.

As far as we are aware, there have not been any civilian casualties resulting from UK strikes against ISIL.

We have made no such assessment. However, a number of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's senior leadership are assessed to be Iraqis who served within Saddam Hussein’s regime.

The UK strongly supports international and local efforts to seek a comprehensive political settlement in Syria, in particular the political process being taken forward by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. The UK is funding discussions between non-state actors representing key interest groups to encourage a Syrian national dialogue, as well as local level peace-building projects to mediate and mitigate local conflicts and to strengthen cohesion and moderate voices in these communities. The UK fully supports Prime Minister Abadi’s work to deliver the reforms and political reconciliation needed to persuade all of Iraq’s communities – Shias, Sunnis and Kurds – that they have a stake in Iraq’s future. In 2015/16 we will provide funding for a number of projects in Iraq designed to support community cohesion and encourage reconciliation, acceptance and tolerance between communities at a grass roots level. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also deployed or reassigned 20 officers to help better understand and support the political process in Iraq, including efforts to reach out to members of the Sunni community.

The UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have a long history of friendship, understanding and co-operation. Our shared interests are wide and diverse, and include cooperation on counter-terrorism, defence, trade and investment, education and healthcare. We also work closely with the Government of Saudi Arabia across a range of shared key foreign policy interests.

Iran is an important country in the region but it is contributing to regional instability through its actions. We discuss regional issues as part of our bilateral dialogue with Iran, and continue to encourage Iran to play a constructive role in the region.

The UK welcomes any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria and Iraq. The situation in Syria and Iraq is incredibly complex, and international enclaves are not currently feasible. For such a safe area to work in any context, all parties to the conflict would need to agree on its establishment. In the absence of such an agreement, this would require foreign military intervention, authorised by a UN Security Council resolution.

DFID has allocated £39.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq since June and is delivering a range of life-saving assistance such as food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical care to those who have been displaced by the conflict.

All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion or ethnicity. Our aid is reaching thousands of vulnerable displaced people across Iraq. This has included delivering aid to thousands of people trapped by ISIL in the Iraqi town of Amerli, including many from the Turkmen community.

The UK Government has provided military support to the official authorities, in the form of the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government, to help them counter the threat from ISIL.