The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
616.
A
cross‑government review of the UK’s approach to post‑conflict
reconstruction
began in
summer 2003 (see Section 10.3). Following that review, the
inter‑departmental
Post‑Conflict
Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) was established in September
2004.
It became
operational during 2005.
617.
The remit of
the PCRU was to facilitate integrated planning for the military
and
civilian
components of an intervention, including by identifying resources
from existing
618.
From June
2006, departments and in particular the FCO sought to develop
new
mechanisms
to fund civilian stabilisation operations.
619.
Sir Michael
Jay and senior FCO officials, the Chiefs of Staff, Dr Nemat
Shafik,
DFID
Director General Programmes, and Mr Jim Drummond, DFID
Director UN Conflict
and
Humanitarian Division, agreed on 6 June 2006 that officials should
work up a joint
FCO/MOD/DFID
proposal on how to ensure a comprehensive approach to funding
for
“stabilisation/reconstruction
campaigns”.385
The FCO
would lead that work.
620.
During the
meeting, officials agreed that as the Treasury would strongly
oppose
any bid to
relax the rules on access to the Reserve, the focus of the proposal
should
probably be
on increasing the size of the GCPP, for example by creating a new
funding
line for
“quick impact development projects” in semi‑permissive
environments.
621.
Air Chief
Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff,
suggested
an
allocation
for that new line of £50m.
622.
Sir Michael
Jay commented that the Iraq and Afghanistan context might
make
the Treasury
(and No.10) more receptive to a proposal.
623.
Discussions
continued between the FCO, the MOD, DFID and PCRU
until
mid‑September,
but did not produce a consensus on how any “QIP Fund”
should
be managed
or delivered on the ground, or on the criteria that might be used
to
determine
funding from it.386
There was
consensus that the £50m allocation proposed
by
ACM Stirrup at the 6 June meeting was too large, given the
need and the difficulties
of disbursing
funds effectively.
624.
The Inquiry
has seen no indications that Treasury officials were aware of
or
engaged in
those discussions.387
384
Paper
[Cabinet Office], 20 July 2004, ‘DOP paper on the Post Conflict
Reconstruction Unit’.
385
Minute
Powell to Pattison, 7 June 2006, ‘PUS/COS Lunch, 6
June’.
386
Paper FCO,
1 August 2006, ‘Quick Impact Projects: Discussion Paper 01 August
2006’.
387
Letter Link
to Williams, 10 July 2006, ‘Quick Impact Projects (QIP) – Iraq and
Afghanistan’; Letter
Laurence to
Link, 19 July 2006, ‘Quick Impact Projects – Iraq and Afghanistan’;
Letter Teuten to Link, 21 July
2006,
‘Quick Impact Projects (QIP) – Iraq and Afghanistan’; Minute
Mosselsmans to Link, 21 July 2006,
‘Quick
Impact Projects’; Letter Pattison to Laurence, 18 September 2006,
‘Quick Impact Projects (QIPs)’.
546