HC Deb 14 March 2000 vol 346 cc145-6W
Mr. Spring

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the criteria used by his Department to decide the number of people travelling to Iraq on the flight organised by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Kelvin (Mr. Galloway). [114134]

Mr. Hain

The hon. Member for Kelvin applied for clearance for a humanitarian flight carrying medical supplies to Iraq. On receipt of a passenger list containing 207 names, I advised the hon. Member that the practice of the UN Sanctions Committee indicated that a humanitarian flight with this number of passengers was unlikely to receive Sanctions Committee approval. The hon. Member reduced the number of passengers to 29 on 6 March. The flight application was then submitted to the UN Sanctions Committee, which approved the flight on 8 March.

Mr. Spring

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Glasgow, Kelvin (Mr. Galloway) was told that his original plans for the flight to Iraq were not acceptable to his Department. [114133]

Mr. Hain

On receipt of a passenger list containing 207 names, I advised the hon. Member for Kelvin on 4 March that, because of the large number of passengers on what was a humanitarian flight, it was unlikely that the UN Sanctions Committee on Iraq would approve the flight application. The hon. Member reduced the number of passengers to 29 on 6 March. The application for the flight and its cargo of medicine was then submitted to the UN Sanctions Committee, which approved the flight on 8 March in time for it to proceed.

Mr. Spring

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the(a) meetings and (b) discussions which have taken place between the hon. Member for Glasgow, Kelvin (Mr. Galloway) and (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department, regarding the proposed flight to Iraq. [114232]

Mr. Hain

I and my officials have been in regular contact with the hon. Member for Kelvin since January regarding the proposed flight to Iraq. On my recommendation it was given clearance by the UN Sanctions Committee. But for reasons best known to himself, the hon. Member decided not to proceed.