Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they and their international partners are taking to support the return of displaced individuals in Iraq to their home communities, if they wish to return.

The majority of UK funding to Iraq is in the form of immediate humanitarian assistance aimed at saving lives. DFID humanitarian assistance is delivered according to need and not conditional on whether an individual intends to return home or remain in a host community. DFID support through cash assistance to vulnerable families, support to health services, water, sanitation, or the return of documentation - may all contribute to an environment conducive to return, but it would be not be possible to specify a percentage given the unique circumstances for the people involved.

In 2017/18 the UK has allocated £40 million in humanitarian assistance to displaced individuals. In addition to this the UK is contributing over £30 million through our Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) this financial year. This includes £5.68 million to the UN Fund for Immediate Stabilisation (FFS) which focusses on encouraging returns by rehabilitating critical infrastructure, regenerating services such as water and electricity and providing livelihood opportunities in newly liberated areas.

Most major international agencies including the EU provide funding via the UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan. The 2017 appeal is for $984m to respond to urgent needs in Iraq and is 64% funded. The plan covers a range of sectors that may encourage solutions such as return, although is similarly not conditional on return. DFID continues to work with the government of Iraq and humanitarian actors to ensure that robust and coordinated response planning is in place going into 2018, including for activities that support displaced people to return home.