§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money the Government have made available to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for emergency relief to the Kosovar Albanians. [81903]
§ Clare ShortBetween April 1998 and March 1999, the Government allocated £1.5 million to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency relief in Kosovo and the region. In recent weeks, we have focused on providing practical assistance to UNHCR to strengthen its in-country capacity and facilitate the movement of relief supplies into the region. Since 30 March, we have provided UNHCR with 22 airlifts to Skopje and Tirana for relief goods and personnel, and a convoy of five trucks and drivers has arrived in Tirana to support their relief operations in Albania. At UNHCR's request, we have sent specialist personnel and equipment to Tirana airport to help handle the relief flights, and we are providing a similar package for Skopje. We have also offered to provide public information and security specialists to support UNHCR's operations in the region.