Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the statement by the Norwegian Refugee Council on 9 November that the government of Iraq’s decision to close displacement camps could leave more than 100,000 people homeless; and what assistance they have offered to prevent a humanitarian crisis for displaced Iraqis.

The UK is concerned by the recent short-notice closures of displacement camps in Iraq, which has affected 26,300 people to date out of a total population of 110,000 in federal Iraq. The speed of camp closures and lack of coordination with the UN, NGOs and donors risks forcing vulnerable people to return to areas without adequate shelter, infrastructure, or services. The UK is coordinating advocacy efforts with international partners to slow the rate of unplanned camp closures.

Since 2014 the UK has provided £272 million in humanitarian support to millions of vulnerable Iraqis displaced by the Daesh conflict including providing food to over 500,000 people and life saving healthcare services to 4.3 million people. The UK will continue to work with the Government of Iraq, UN and partners to ensure that the conditions for voluntary and safe returns are met.