Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the clearance of explosive devices from roads and towns in previously Daesh-held areas of Iraq; and how many civilians have so far been able to return to their homes as a result of that work.

​Important progress is being made to clear explosive devices from previously Daesh-held areas of Iraq. In 2018, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) cleared over 2,000 explosive traps and 16,500 explosives from the country. The UK, one of the largest contributors to demining efforts in Iraq, has contributed £29.75 million to UNMAS since 2015, including £5 million announced in January 2019 to support six explosive clearance teams in Sinjar province. UK support in this area, combined with our wider humanitarian and stabilisation efforts in Iraq, has contributed to creating the conditions for over 4 million internally displaced persons to return home since 2015.