§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the UNICEF estimate of the number of children who have died in Iraq during the period for which sanctions have been imposed; and if he will make a statement. [107591]
§ Mr. HainWe are very concerned about UNICEF's preliminary report into Child and Maternal Mortality in Iraq and continue to support efforts to target the humanitarian effort there towards the most vulnerable. We are discussing with UNICEF how they propose to adjust their programme in Iraq in light of the survey and are considering opportunities for working with them.
Meanwhile, the comprehensive resolution on Iraq, SCR 1284, which was drafted and piloted through the Security Council by the UK, includes a raft of measures providing for a bigger and better "oil for food" programme. It also calls on the Government of Iraq at last to prioritise its spending under "oil for food" more effectively and address the needs of vulnerable groups.
In this respect we oppose the present plan prepared by Iraq which allocates just $10 million out of an available sum of $3.5 billion to targeted feeding programmes for malnourished children.
If the Iraqi Government had chosen to prioritise genuinely the humanitarian assistance which has been made available since the implementation of UNSCR 986 in 1996, the suffering of the Iraqi people would have been hugely reduced.
§ Mr. RobathanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he has given to INDICT. [108038]
§ Mr. HainWe continue to support the INDICT campaign. I made this clear when I spoke at an INDICT function in the margins of last year's Labour624W party conference. FCO officials remain in regular contact with INDICT representatives, offering advice and support as appropriate.