§ Mr. Stuart Hollandasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives are being taken by the Overseas Development Administration both on a bilateral basis and through the European Community to provide food, medical supplies and other relief to the Palestinian refugee camps of Shatila and Bourj el Barajneh in Lebanon; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris PattenOn 27 March 1 announced new emergency aid for the Lebanon totalling £550,000. Of this £250,000 is being channelled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in response to its appeal for food, medical and other relief supplies for the camps. The remaining £300,000 will he used by the International Committee of the Red Cross for its relief programme in Lebanon.
The European Community contributes annually— about £22 million in 1986—to the education and feeding programmes of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which mainly benefit Palestinians in Lebanon. In addition, it has allocated this year 2.7 mecu—about £2 million — to various international agencies working in the area. About 20 per cent. of the Community programme is met from the British aid budget.