§ Mr. Spearingasked the Minister for Overseas Development what steps are being taken by Her Majesty's Government to provide emergency relief aid for the Lebanon.
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§ Mr. PrenticeBetween October 1975 and August 1976 I made available a total of £50,000, including £25,000 as a grant to the Lebanon relief effort of the International Committee of the Red Cross and £25,000 as payments to the British Red Cross to cover certain costs of medical supplies.
The improved security situation now permits a wider scale of urgently needed relief operations. We believe that our bilateral response to Lebanon's needs is best made primarily as part of a coordinated international effort in which both UN bodies and Arab League countries are taking part. I propose, therefore, to allocate a further £450,000, making £500,000 in all, for use as follows:
Parliamentary approval of the new service at (b) above will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate to the Overseas Aid Vote. Pending that approval I propose that the necessary expenditure on (a) and (b) above be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.
- (a) A further £250,000 towards the immediate relief operations of the international Committee of the Red Cross;
- (b) £150,000 in response to the appeal of the Secretary General of the United Nations for a UN Trust Fund to channel relief supplies through the UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO as executing agencies;
- (c) £50,000 to be available at the discretion of my Disaster Unit to support relief work in Lebanon by United Kingdom voluntary agencies.
We also of course contribute to the EEC's emergency aid funds through our share of the EEC's budget. In February this year the Community contributed 100,000 units of account to Lebanon, and the Commission is now recommending a further contribution of 400,000 units of account, bringing the total to some £285,000.