The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
75.
One
arrangement would be to create a budget for the civilian components
of the
operation,
under the direction of a senior Minister with lead responsibility
and in support
of a
coherent UK strategy. Once allocations were made from that budget
to individual
departments,
the allocations would be managed within departments’ legal and
policy
constraints.
Such an arrangement should:
•
ensure that
UK strategy was resourced;
•
promote
joint working;
•
minimise
the potential for gaming;
•
be able to
respond to in‑year priorities; and
•
reduce the
amount of time that Ministers and senior officials need to
spend
arguing
about funding individual activities.
76.
The Inquiry
recognises that, since 2003, significant changes have been made to
the
UK’s
strategic and operational approach to reconstruction and
stabilisation, including to
the
arrangements for funding such operations.
582