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House of Lords

Wednesday, 7 June 2006.

The House met at three of the clock: the LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.

Prayers—Read by the Lord Bishop of Norwich.

Iraq

Lord Renton of Mount Harry asked Her Majesty's Government:

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Prime Minister has maintained a regular dialogue about Iraq with President Bush.

Lord Renton of Mount Harry: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. I was not expecting much more than that. I realise the difficulty of answering my Question, but could she at least assure us that this continuous dialogue has reflected the changing situation in Iraq; for example, the conditions in Basra, where British troops are, which seem to get worse day by day, and the sad fact that the presence of US and UK troops in Iraq seems to be becoming increasingly unacceptable to most Iraqis?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I can certainly assure the noble Lord that the dialogue reflects the changing reality in Iraq, especially in Basra and, of course, in relation to the sad violence taking place every day.

As noble Lords know, the UK is committed to a conditions-based withdrawal of troops; that continues to be our policy. We will be there as long as the Iraqis need us. As the Iraqi security forces take over, our gradual withdrawal will happen at different times in different places.

Lord Wright of Richmond: My Lords, I revert to a question that I asked in the House about a year ago. How many meetings of the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee have been held on Iraq in the past six months?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, forgive me; I do not have that information to hand. I will write to the noble Lord with the utmost urgency.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, I assure the Government that we on these Benches are extremely glad that the United States appears to have listened to the British, French and Germans on opening a dialogue with Iran, in sharp contrast to the lack of evidence that the Bush Administration have listened to their British partners on policy towards Iraq.
 
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One reads in the US press that NATO is taking over from the United States in Afghanistan, which is an interesting misdefinition of what NATO is about. Are we also now in active dialogue with the United States about the future of shared policy in Afghanistan?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, yes. We are in discussion with the United States about a shared policy on Afghanistan and the role of NATO at this very moment.

Lord Quirk: My Lords, in view of the difficulties outlined by the noble Lord, Lord Renton of Mount Harry, with the current situation in Iraq—even in the southern part around Basra—is it not remarkable that the British Council has a two-site operation in Iraq: one in Baghdad, the other in Basra itself? Can the Minister tell us anything about the relationship between the operation there and in Jordan, and how much of it is, in fact, carried out from Jordan?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, like the noble Lord, I welcome the fact that the British Council has a two-site operation in Iraq. I am unable to tell him how much work is carried on there, and how much in Jordan, but I undertake to inform him in writing. I am sure that if, at present, a greater percentage of the work is carried on in Jordan than in Iraq, then, as security conditions in Iraq improve, that balance will change, and more of the efforts will be undertaken in Iraq.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, I am sure that we all share the concerns expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Renton of Mount Harry, about the level of violence, particularly in Baghdad and Basra. Can the Minister tell us a little more about what is happening in the north of the country? At a recent meeting in London, women representatives from the north of the country, particularly from Erbil and Kirkuk, said that they felt that there was less violence there and that there were more opportunities for trade and commercial activity. Can the Minister endorse that view, or does she take a contrary view?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely correct. I am pleased to say that security incidents in the north are generally less severe and are far fewer than in other parts of the country. That is not to say that those areas have been spared attacks; they have not. There are still attacks by those who are intent on undermining the country's stability. The people of northern Iraq are clearly committed to the political process, as are all Iraqis, and the establishment of the government is a huge step forward, which will strengthen economic development. I am pleased to say that GDP growth in Iraq for 2006 is projected at over 10 per cent.

Baroness Knight of Collingtree: My Lords, has the specific question of rebuilding Iraq, and the efforts made towards that, been engaging the Prime Minister and Mr Bush?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the reconstruction efforts have been engaging the Prime Minister and President Bush in discussion.
 
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Lord Kilclooney: My Lords, the Prime Minister has confirmed that coalition forces will remain in Iraq only so long as the Iraqis request their presence there. As more and more Iraqis are now saying that the presence of coalition forces contributes more to the problem than to the solution, has the Parliament—as distinct from the Government—of Iraq yet debated the question of the presence of coalition forces in Iraq?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I do not know whether it has yet discussed it, but I will seek to find out and will inform the noble Lord. The Government in Iraq are saying that they wish the troops to remain. However, I understand the differentiation made by the noble Lord.

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon: My Lords, do the Government accept that the Iraq problem is less likely to be sorted out within Iraq and more likely to be sorted out as part of a broader regional solution? If they do, as the Minister seems to indicate, can she tell us whether Washington takes the same view?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I am sure that Washington takes the same view and that, like us, it will welcome the fact that the Iraqi-led, Arab League-sponsored national accord conference will result in active engagement with members of the Arab League. We hope that very soon there will be a compact, led by the Iraqi Government and the UN, that will draw in members of the wider international community to support Iraq as it progresses.

Baroness Rawlings: My Lords, in the light of the recent criticism by the Iraqi Prime Minister, what ethical training do our troops receive before they go to Iraq regarding interaction with the various communities? Has that training been discussed with their US counterparts?

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, our troops receive the training suggested by the noble Baroness. I am unable to say whether they receive the same training as US troops or are trained with US troops, but I will inform the noble Baroness.

BBC: Trust Members

3.14 pm

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Davies of Oldham: My Lords, the eight new BBC Trust members will be appointed by the Queen on the advice of government following an open and transparent competition. The selection process will be based on Nolan principles and will take account of the guidance of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
 
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Vacancies have been advertised in the national press, and we hope that a diverse range of high quality candidates will apply.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that partially helpful reply. However, does he recall that, when the current chairman of the BBC was appointed, not only were Nolan principles applied but the then Commissioner for Public Appointments, my noble friend Lady Fritchie, convened a scrutiny panel of three members who, together with herself, specifically oversaw the process? In light of the acknowledged specific interest of licence fee payers in the BBC's new forms of governance and especially in these eight appointments, would it not be appropriate to adopt a comparably independent scrutiny procedure in this case?

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