§ Lord Thomas of Swynnertonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they are giving to help the work of the voluntary and church agencies in providing humanitarian aid to Poland.
§ Lord BelsteadHer Majesty's Government have provided financial and other assistance both nationally and through the European Community to help the efforts of those voluntary and church agencies providing humanitarian aid to Poland.
In his reply of 23rd February to my noble friend Lord Cork and Orrery, my noble friend the Lord Trefgarne announced the Government's decision to make available during the financial year 1981–82 a grant-in-aid of £5,000 to the Ockenden Venture to assist the co-ordination of relief work to Poland.
Her Majesty's Government have now agreed to make available a further grant-in-aid of £6,500 to the Ockenden Venture during the present financial year in order to consolidate this work. Parliamentary approval is being sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Services Vote 5.
Her Majesty's Government have participated fully in the European Commission's current programme of £4.5 million relief to Poland and a number of British non-governmental organisations have received allocations from this proposal. We expect that a Commission proposal for a further programme of Community aid will be put forward in the near future.
House adjourned at twenty-eight minutes past nine o'clock.