The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
135.
In 2003, the
Department for International Development (DFID) was
responsible
for leading
the Government’s contribution to eliminating poverty. The
International
Development
Act, which came into effect in June 2002, had established
poverty
reduction
as the overarching purpose of British development
assistance.
136.
Within DFID,
the Iraq Team in the Middle East and North Africa
Department
included
advisers with expertise on conflict, humanitarian assistance,
governance,
infrastructure,
economics and social development who provided analysis to
inform
decisions.86
The DFID
Iraq Team worked closely with the FCO and drew on the
FCO’s
Iraq-related
research and analysis.
137.
Advisers were
drawn from the relevant DFID professional cadres with
consultants
brought in
to provide advice on specific issues and projects where
required.
138.
In addition,
DFID’s Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department (CHAD)
provided
specific
policy and operational advice on Iraq.
139.
Lord Wilson
told the Inquiry that between January 1998 and January 1999 he
had
attended
and noted 21 Ministerial discussions on Iraq; 10 in Cabinet, of
which seven
had “some
substance”; five in the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee
(DOP); and
six ad hoc
meetings, including one JIC briefing.87
140.
The Cabinet
Office informed the Inquiry that there was no discussion of Iraq
in
DOP in 1999
or 2000, and that the four discussions in Cabinet in early 1999
(the last on
7 March)
were confined to brief updates on the No-Fly Zones.88
There is no
record of
any Cabinet
discussion of Iraq in 2000.
141.
In contrast,
Lord Wilson told the Inquiry that between 9/11 and January
2002
he attended
46 Ministerial meetings on international terrorism and/or
Afghanistan.89
Those were:
13 Cabinet meetings (four of which were very short); 12 meetings of
a new
Cabinet
Committee, DOP(IT) (Defence and Overseas Policy (International
Terrorism)),
which was
set up as a sort of “War Cabinet”; and 21 ad hoc meetings, although
many
of those
had taken place “round the Cabinet table”.
142.
DOP, formally
a Sub Committee of the Cabinet, was created in 1963, with Terms
of
Reference:
“To keep under review the Government’s defence and overseas
policy.”
86
Email DFID
to Iraq Inquiry [junior official], 19 June 2013, ‘Iraq Inquiry new
queries’.
87
Public
hearing, 25 January 2011, page 11.
88
Email
Cabinet Office to Aldred, 5 July 2011, ‘FOI request for joint
MOD/FCO memo on Iraq Policy 1999’.
89
Public
hearing, 25 January 2011, page 11.
288