§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom has transferred to the United Nations escrow account in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 778; how much of this has been subsequently passed to the UN compensation fund; if the sum transferred included interest on the original amount; and if he will make a statement. [7608]
§ Mr. HanleyA total of US $736,938.12—including accrued interest of US $64,384.69—was transferred in February 1995 to the UN escrow account in accordance with Security Council resolution No. 778. Just over US $221.000 was subsequently passed to the UN56W compensation fund. No other unencumbered oil-related assets have been identified.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many claims have been made by United Kingdom citizens to the UN compensation fund for victims of the Gulf war; how many of these have been settled; and if he will make a statement. [7610]
§ Mr. HanleySome 4,990 claims in various categories have been submitted to the UN compensation commission by the Government on behalf of individuals and companies; 1,468 of these have been assessed so far, of which 148 have been settled.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of the UN compensation commission fund for victims of the Gulf war. [7612]
§ Mr. HanleyThe United Nations compensation commission in Geneva was established in 1991, under UN Security Council resolutions Nos. 687 and 692, to deal with claims for compensation for direct loss, damage or injury resulting from Iraq's unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. Claims have submitted by individuals, corporations and Governments. The commission consists of three parts: First, the policy-making Governing Council. Membership mirrors that of the Security Council; secondly, the secretariat, led by an executive secretary, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the commission; thirdly, panels of commissioners, who are experts in international law, finance and other fields, and are responsible for adjudicating the claims.
Having quickly established the machinery to deal with an unprecedented number of claims, it has already assessed 2 million of the 2.6 million claims received.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the maximum compensation paid to(a) an individual and (b) a family from the UN compensation commission fund for victims of the Gulf war; and if he will make a statement. [7609]
§ Mr. HanleyCompensation has been paid to a total of 3,967 category B—serious personal injury or death—claimants, of whom 148 are British. The maximum that an individual and a family can receive in this category is US $2,500 and US $10,000 respectively.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number and value of payments made under the UN compensation commission fund for Gulf war victims; what was the nationality of the successful claimants and if he will make a statement. [7611]
§ Mr. HanleyA total of 3,967 claims amounting to US $13,470,000 have been paid so far. The Governments and international organisations which submitted these claims are as follows:
- Algeria
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
57 - Canada
- China
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- India
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Korea
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russian Federation
- Slovak Republic
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Syria
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Yemen
- F. R. of Yugoslavia
- UNDP Jersualem
- UNDP Kuwait
- UNDP Washington
- UNHCR Bulgaria
- UNHCR Canada
- UNHCR Geneva
- UNRWA Vienna