§ Mr. Cyril D. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government are giving to help the work of the voluntary and Church agencies in providing humanitarian aid to Poland.
§ Mr. RifkindHer Majesty's Government have provided financial and other assistance both nationally and through the European Community to help the efforts of those voluntary and Church agencies providing humanitarian aid to Poland.
In his reply of 19 February—[Vol. 18, c. 261–62]—to my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Mr. Gardiner), my right hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Atkins) announced the Government's decision to make available during the financial year 1981–82 a grant-in-aid of £5,000 to the Ockenden Venture to assist the cc-ordination of relief work to Poland.
The Government have now agreed to make available a further grant-in-aid of £6,500 to the Ockenden Venture during the present financial year in order to consolidate 383W this work. Parliamentary approval is being sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Services Vote 5.
Her Majesty's Government have participated fully in the European Commission's current programme of £4.5 million relief to Poland and a number of British nongovernmental organisations have received allocations from this proposal. We expect that a Commission proposal for a further programme of Community aid will be put forward in the near future.