HL Deb 17 March 1987 vol 485 cc1415-6WA
Lord Chelwood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will summarise the scale, type and objectives of the aid so far given to the Palestinian population in the occupied territories in Israel, whether this includes the annexed part of Jerusalem, how aid is co-ordinated with Jordan and what plans they have for the rest of 1987.

Baroness Hooper

By encouraging the economic and social development of the occupied territories, our aid programme is intended to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian inhabitants. We have increased our bilateral aid to £5 million over the next five years, from £918,000 over the last three financial years. Half of our aid will be channelled through Jordanian institutions and includes projects to be carried out in East Jerusalem. We also give £5 million a year to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The Commission of the European Communities has recently increased its aid to the occupied territories to 3 million ecu (about £2 million) for 1987 and increased its contribution to UNRWA to 20 million ecu (about £14 million). In 1986 the EC gave 14 million ecu of food aid to UNRWA, as well as an annual contribution of 17 million ecu.