§ Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom's part in the suppression of piracy in the Gulf of Thailand.
§ Mr. LuceI have been asked to reply.
The United Kingdom is striving, with others, to help combat the scourge of piracy against boat refugees in the Gulf of Thailand. Since 1982 we have made annual contributions, totalling £335,000, to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for use in the Thai Government's anti-piracy programme. Although the incidence of piracy remains distressingly high, there has been a welcome fall in the rate of attacks since the programme's inception.