Mesopotamia (Hansard, 25 March 1991)

§ 35. Mr. Dalyell
To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will bring forward proposals to set up a Select Committee to consider health problems in Mesopotamia.

§ Mr. MacGregor
No, Sir.

§ Mr. Dalyell
As waterborne diseases are silent assassins and millions of people with whom we are told that we have no quarrel have to drink water from a river awash with human faeces, and as a horrendous civil war has developed since my question was tabled, is it satisfactory that the House will not discuss those matters for at least another 21 days and has not done so, other than in private Members' or minority party time, since January?

§ Mr. MacGregor
That does not relate to the hon. Gentleman's question. As I have told the hon. Gentleman on other occasions, I do not believe that a Select Committee is an appropriate place to consider that issue. It is always open to departmental Select Committees to study aspects of problems germane to their specific subjects if they so wish, but any discussions must relate to the subject that concerns them.
On the situation in Mesopotamia, a multi-agency United Nations mission recently returned from Iraq, where it was assessing humanitarian needs. It has yet to report to the United Nations. The Government have already contributed a considerable sum to emergency relief supplies.