§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that Britain's efforts to help Somalia, whether through development aid or immediate financial aid and advice, shall be concentrated on the north (Republic of Somaliland).
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 15 December 1992]: Britain has pledged more than £31 million of 354W humanitarian aid to Somalia this year, including our share of EC aid. All our assistance is channelled through United Nations agencies and British and international non-governmental organisations. In addition to food, we have funded transport and logistical support to the relief effort, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment and agricultural supplies—seeds and tools. The EC has responded well and committed 206,000 tonnes of food aid of which two thirds has been shipped and one half delivered.
Aid is allocated where the need is greatest, where mechanisms and agencies are available to deliver it and where it reflects the requests for assistance which we receive from the United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organisations who are working on the ground.