Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of Iraq with its community-building efforts in post-conflict areas such as Tikrit where ISIS have been expelled.

Restoring security, governance and vital services to areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are important for the safe return of those displaced by violence and to stop ISIL retaking ground. This stabilisation work is one of the five lines of effort in the Counter-ISIL Coalition’s strategy. It must be led by the Iraqi government, but closely supported by the international Counter-ISIL Coalition.

The UK is actively supporting the Iraqi government in a number of ways: as a key member of the Coalition Stabilisation Working Group; providing technical expertise and advice to the Iraqi government-led Stabilisation Task Force in Baghdad; and through our military and humanitarian support. On 2 June, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), joined other Coalition ministers to review the Coalition’s progress in defeating ISIL, including ways to support communities recovering from the effects of ISIL’s brutal occupation. During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK would pledge £2 million in support to the UN Development Programme’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation.