§ 27. Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the current level of aid being provided to Sierra Leone by(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the EU. [42524]
§ Clare ShortSince the return of President Kabbah's democratically elected government, we have provided £1 million to re-establish core functions and services, £1 million for NGOs delivering humanitarian and development assistance, and £1 million to the ICRC to continue its humanitarian aid and protection work. The EC is providing 2 million ecu for seeds and tools and 200,000 ecu to help refugees in Guinea to return home.
We are looking at what more we can do to strengthen governance and bring immediate relief to the people. We hope in the future to be able to assist in demobilising and re-integrating ex-combatants.