§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what work his Department has funded(a) to treat the victims of Halabja in northern Iraq following the chemical weapons attack by Iraqi military forces on the town in March 1998 and (b) to monitor the long-term effects of the chemical weapons on the residents of the town; and if he will make a statement. [63778]
§ Ms JowellThe Department of Health has not provided any assistance to the people of Halabja since the chemical weapons attack in March 1988, as international assistance of this kind is channelled through the Department for International Development (DfID). My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development 475W provided a written answer on DflD's efforts on 29 July 1998, Official Report, column 283 and this represents the current state of play.