§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he will outline the report which he has received from the team from his Disaster Unit relating to its visit to the drought affected zones of the Somali Democratic Republic; and whether he will now announce further amounts of emergency aid for drought relief in that country.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe member of my Disaster Unit who visited the Somali Democratic Republic at the end of April reported that the Government of the republic had responded well to the drought situation, and had established an effective organisational structure for relief measures at central, regional and district levels. Some 250,000 people seriously affected by the drought had been brought into well-organised camps to facilitate feeding and medical treatment. Useful support and advice had been given by international agencies such as WHO, FAO and UNICEF. The United Nations Disaster Relief Organisation had monitored the situation and advised donors on relief supplies. The international donor response had been generous and sufficient food and other supplies have been provided or pledged to meet expected requirements over the coming months. The emergency phase appeared to be coming to an end and the Somali 285W Government were now embarking on a policy of resettling some of the nomadic people affected by the drought in other parts of the country.
The largest donor of relief assistance in the current famine situation has been the EEC, and Her Majesty's Government's likely contribution through the EEC budget will be about £0.46 million. In addition to this, the British Government have provided bilateral assistance amounting to £140,000. This includes a gift of a 50-bed field hospital which was handed over to the republic earlier this month.
I am currently considering making a contribution to a UNICEF appeal for a special programme of assistance for mothers and children in the aftermath of the drought.