asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which Iraqi provinces have to date received a transition readiness assessment grade of level 2.

The decision on when to transfer responsibility for security in each of Iraq's 18 provinces is taken jointly by the Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) and the Government of Iraq, on the basis of monthly provincial security transition assessments (PSTAs). Transition readiness assessments are a part of the PSTAs and are carried out for individual services such as the Iraqi Army or police, rather than for provinces as a whole.

The PSTAs are reviewed by the combined Iraqi and coalition Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility, before a final decision on whether a province is ready to transfer to Iraqi security control is taken at the Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security.

The criteria used in the assessments are: first, the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces; secondly, the threat level; thirdly, the Iraqi governance capacity, and, fourthly, the capabilities of MNF-I to re-intervene at the request of the Iraqis. To date, three Iraqi provinces have met the criteria necessary for the transfer of security: Muthanna; Dhi Qar; and Najaf.