§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the compensation for victims of the Gulf war, decided on by the United Nations Compensation Commission's governing council in December 1996, will be paid. [18728]
§ Dr. Liam FoxInterim payments of US $2,500 will be made after similar amounts have been paid for claims approved in 1994, 1995 and earlier in 1996. Successful702W claimants in the first instalments are due to be paid in the near future.
Subsequent payments will depend on a regular flow of money into the compensation fund from the sale of Iraqi oil under UN Security Council resolution 986.
§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Nations' announcement on the use of seized Iraqi assets to pay for the environmental effects of the Gulf war and its implications for the United Kingdom. [18727]
§ Dr. Liam FoxThe UN Compensation Commission recently announced that claims for environmental damage totalling US $32 billion have been received from 10 Governments by the deadline of 1 February 1997. Compensation will in due courses be paid from revenue derived from the sale of Iraqi oil, not from seized assets. The UK has claimed £1.4 million.