Angola

HC Deb 07 February 1994 vol 237 cc17-8

41. Ms Hoey

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about the delivery and distribution of aid to those most in need in Angola.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Britain's contribution of £10 million to the international humanitarian effort has been widely welcomed.

Ms Hoey

I am sure that the Minister is aware of the information coming out of Angola about the scale of the tragedy there: hundreds of thousands of people are starving and hundreds of thousands are going to starve. Does the Minister really believe that this country is doing enough, not only in terms of the amount of aid but in ensuring that it is distributed fairly? Is the co-ordination between the United Nations agencies and the voluntary agencies which are doing such good work there ensuring that the aid is getting to the people who need it and not being diverted to the armed soldiers of UNITA?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

I know that the hon. Lady is familiar with Angola and is an expert on this subject. She does the House a service by drawing our attention to the tragedy there, which is quite as bad as that of former Yugoslavia, or perhaps worse in terms of deaths. Since October last year, there has been better access to the provinces to deliver aid and, as a result, we are now providing £400,000 to finance two field officers to assist the in-country office of the United Nations department of humanitarian affairs and to help with the distribution of aid.

Mr. Jacques Arnold

Bearing in mind the neglect and destruction that have occurred in Angola as a result of years of Marxist rule followed by civil war, would not one of the major contributions that we can make to Angola's redevelopment once the conflict has come to an end be to rebuild the infrastructure for which our country's engineering expertise is so well suited?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

I have no doubt that that will be so in due course, but at the moment our priority is to provide emergency assistance—food, health care and nutrition. They must be the demands of the moment.