17. To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the social, political and economic development of Iraqi Kurdistan since 1990; and if she will make a statement. (134751)

The social, political and economic development in the Kurdish region since 1990, following the establishment of the no-fly zone and the formation of the Kurdish Regional Government and National Assembly, has helped to foster a more developed economy than in other parts of Iraq.

The provinces of Erbil, Dohuk and Suleymaniyah that the Kurdish regional government administers enjoy moderate stability. Security is better than in the rest of Iraq.