§ 3. Mr. Derek Twigg (Halton)What steps her Department is taking in East Timor to provide humanitarian assistance and to assist with reconstruction. [95582]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. George Foulkes)I am pleased to tell the House that we have doubled our contribution to the response to the crisis in East Timor to £6.5 million. That is made up of £5.5 million for immediate assistance, and £1 million to support the transition to independence.
So far, our funding has been used to re-establish the UN presence by providing communication and transport systems. It has also been used to help fund the safe return of refugees and to provide funding for the World Food Programme to help it supply food and shelter. We are also working to ensure power and safe water supplies are restored.
We have also provided funding to the Gurkhas to enable them to run mobile clinics, escort humanitarian convoys, distribute food and help with the clean-up operations.
§ Mr. TwiggI thank my hon. Friend for securing the much-needed extra resources, as many of my constituents have written to me about this matter, which is also of grave concern to many Church groups. Will my hon. Friend do all in his power to ensure that the assistance gets to the right people quickly?
§ Mr. FoulkesMy hon. Friend is right. One of the biggest problems is access to the refugees. There are about 230,000 refugees in West Timor, and only about 22,000 have been allowed to return to East Timor. I urge the Government of Indonesia to allow us safe access to the refugees and to do everything that they can to ensure the safe passage of refugees back to their homes.
§ Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire)Will the Minister take urgent steps to promote the interests of British companies in achieving the physical reconstruction of East Timor that he has described? If he answers that question in the affirmative, how will he explain the different answer to the same question given by the Secretary of State in China last December? At that time, she specifically excluded promoting British companies in China.
§ Mr. FoulkesOur main aim is to ensure that the reconstruction is carried out as quickly and effectively as possible. If that can be done by British companies, then so much the better.
§ Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)I am pleased to hear my hon. Friend the Minister mention the refugees in West Timor. I understand that 219,000 of them are still there; after three weeks' of trying, the UNHCR has managed to repatriate 16,000 people. That is clearly inadequate: does my hon. Friend agree that more pressure to release those refugees back to their homeland must be exerted on the Indonesian Government?
Will my hon. Friend also ensure that the investigation of war crimes in East Timor continues apace? As yet, forensic scientists have not even entered the country to begin what should be the urgent and immediate investigation of the thousands of killings during the Indonesian occupation.
§ Mr. FoulkesI agree with my hon. Friend on both counts. We are doing all that we can to ensure that refugees return. We estimate that about 22,000 have returned, but that is only about 10 per cent. of the total. We are urging the Government of Indonesia to do everything that they can to get refugees home as quickly as possible. On the question of human rights violations, Britain fully supports international efforts to ensure that those guilty of abuses are brought to justice. We were one of the co-sponsors of the European Union resolution adopted on 27 September at the special session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which called for an international commission of inquiry to establish the facts.
§ Dr. Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park)Does the Minister agree that the expense being placed on the Department for International Development by the reconstruction of East Timor would have been saved if the Government had listened to the clamour of that country's supporters and stopped the sale of arms to Indonesia much earlier? Will he assure the House that his Department will in future have more influence on where the United Kingdom sells its arms?
§ Mr. FoulkesThat matter is under active discussion. As far as the money is concerned, half the sum involved is being found by reallocating resources set aside for Indonesia to East Timor, a policy with which I am sure the hon. Lady would agree. The other half will come from the reserve.
§ Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South)We welcome the positive contribution of the Department for International Development to Indonesia, but can the Minister assure us that he will not take his eye off the ball, given that human atrocities occur in other parts of Indonesia, such as Ambon? Will he keep up the pressure on the Indonesian authorities?
§ Mr. FoulkesI can certainly give that assurance. That is exactly the kind of thing that our funding to Indonesia is geared towards.