§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Prime Minister which minister gave final approval for the publication of the UK dossier on Iraq of September 2002. [98371]
§ The Prime MinisterThis was a Government document cleared in the normal way.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Prime Minister what provisional plan he has made for the care of children in Iraq in the event of armed conflict. [98442]
§ The Prime MinisterChildren in Iraq are already vulnerable. In the centre and south of Iraq, under-five mortality rates are 131 per 1,000 live births—worse than the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Mozambique. The situation is particularly bad in the centre and south of Iraq where conditions have been deteriorating since the 1980s. The situation in the North, which is subject to UN sanctions but not ruled by Saddam Hussein, is less serious with the under-five mortality rate of 72 per 1000 live births.
The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of the efforts of the international community to improve the humanitarian situation in Iraq. Aside from our role in the UN, UK assistance to Iraq continues both bilaterally and through the EC. Since 1991 the UK has provided over £100 million for humanitarian work. The Department for International Development's ongoing programme expects to spend £8 million this financial year.
We are holding regular discussions with the UN, US and others about ways to minimise the suffering of the Iraqi people, including in the possible event of military action. One key priority will be to re-establish the Oil For Food distribution network as quickly as possible if it is disrupted. In addition to DFID's ongoing programme 253W we are also providing £3.5 million funding for humanitarian contingency planning and prepositioning of basic supplies by UN agencies, including UNICEF and UNHCR.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Prime Minister if he will cite the references for statements which are not obtained directly from intelligence sources in his dossiers of evidence of Iraq's involvement in terror and weapons of mass destruction. [98861]
§ The Prime MinisterI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend (Llew Smith) Member for Blaenau Gwent on Monday 10 February,Official Report, column 583W.