§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to apply for funds, in order to assist UK service men, from the seized assets of Saddam Hussein made available by the US Government for anybody affected by the Gulf war. [29379]
§ Dr. MoonieI have no such plans. The Ministry of Defence cannot use frozen Iraqi funds to pay compensation to individuals who have suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Only a small percentage of the Iraqi funds frozen by the UK authorities under UN resolutions actually belong to the Iraqi Government, the bulk belonging either to businesses or private individuals who are resident in Iraq. UN resolutions do not allow the use of these funds in this way.
Claims against Iraq were handled by the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC). The UNCC imposed a deadline for the submission of claims of 1 January 1995. Claims from UK claimants to the UNCC were submitted via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Claims Section.
I cannot comment on the policy of the US Government towards their own personnel.