§ Mr. James Johnsonasked the Minister of Overseas Development what plans she has made to provide famine relief for Somalia.
§ Mrs. HartIn response to a request by the Government of Somalia for assistance, I am arranging for my Disaster Unit to organise the immediate dispatch of two Britannia charter flights carrying some 36 tons of wheat flour and skimmed milk powder to be followed by some plastic portable water containers which will be sent by air freight in January, at a total cost of about £49,000. The wheat flour is to be provided as part of Her Majesty's Government's national actions within the EEC obligations to the Food Aid Convention. The supply and transport of milk powder and water containers constitute new services for which no Estimates provision has yet been approved by the House and it will be necessary to obtain advances of £33,000 from the Contingencies Fund pending parliamentary grant of Supply by way of Supplementary Estimate.
The Somali Government have agreed to arrange for this gift to be distributed through the Somalian Red Crescent.
My Disaster Unit is watching the situation closely and is in touch with the United Nations Disaster Relief Office and other sources of emergency aid. I have made it clear that if further help is needed I shall be prepared to consider sympathetically what we could do.