§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the arrangements for the delivery of aid by non-governmental organisations to refugees on the Thai-Burma border is satisfactory. [HL3543]
§ Baroness AmosAssistance for refugees on the Thai-Burma border is provided mainly through a group of NGOs known as the Burma Border Consortium. The consortium delivers a comprehensive programme of assistance in the form of foodstuffs and non-food items, including cooking utensils, building materials and fuel. These arrangements seem to work satisfactorily—it has for instance been possible to ensure that the refugees receive a minimum amount of 2,100 kilocalories per day, in line with the World Food Programme's and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' recommendations. DFID committed £267,500 to the consortium in 1997–98.