HC Deb 15 October 2002 vol 390 cc661-3W
Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which UN agencies her Department supports are working in Iraq; and what level of financial commitment her Department makes to these programmes [74334]

Clare Short

The principal UN agencies working in Iraq with the Oil for Food Programme are UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, WFP, WHO, UNESCO, UNOCHI, UNHCR, FAO, UNIDO and Habitat. My Department does not give any of these agencies earmarked funding for their Iraq programmes, but supports most of them globally. In addition, the United Nations Guards Contingent for Iraq (UNGCI) is mandated to protect UN personnel, operations and assets involved in the humanitarian programme in Northern Iraq. As part of a joint donor effort, my Department is contributing £0.25 million in support of the UNGCI's work over financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made to deal with the humanitarian consequences of possible war in Iraq. [74338]

Clare Short

My Department does regular contingency planning for a variety of potential humanitarian emergencies around the world, and maintains constant preparedness to respond to such events.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what arrangements are in place for consultation between her Department and the Ministry of Defence before any plans for war against Iraq are agreed. [74340]

Clare Short

My Department consults regularly with the Ministry of Defence on a range of issues at official and ministerial level.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department provides to(a) refugees, (b) women and (c) children in Iraq, broken down by region. [74336]

Clare Short

My Department is providing assistance for Iraqi refugees in Iran through A MAR International; for internally-displaced people in Northern Iraq through Response, Relief, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (4RS); for women in Northern Iraq through a 4RS income-generating project; and for children in Northern Iraq through Save the Children-UK and ACORN. In addition, other NGO activities funded by my Department in both Northern and Central/Southern Iraq include women and children among their beneficiaries.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's strategy is for providing humanitarian relief to the people of Iraq. [74333]

Clare Short

The purpose of my Department's humanitarian programme in Iraq is to reduce suffering among the Iraqi people. The programme supports and complements the UN's Oil for Food Programme by working with NGOs and other international organisations.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the obstruction of humanitarian relief and levels of human rights abuses committed by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi people. [74337]

Clare Short

My Department monitors this situation through information obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other sources, which was most recently summarised in part 3 of the dossier: "Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government".

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with colleagues in(a) the European Union, (b) the United States and (c) the UN of the humanitarian impact of a possible war in Iraq. [74339]

Clare Short

My Department is not actively discussing these issues with EU, US and UN colleagues at the moment.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the performance of the oil for food programme in providing humanitarian relief for the people of Iraq. [74335]

Clare Short

My Department has monitored information made available by the UN Office for the Iraq Programme on the operation of the Oil for Food (OFF) Programme, and by other UN agencies such as UNICEF on the impact of the OFF on humanitarian indicators. Our assessment is that since the introduction of the OFF in 1996, the declining humanitarian situation in central/southern Iraq has at best only been halted, although indicators have generally improved in the north. The long term impact of sanctions has contributed to a high dependence by many Iraqis on the OFF food ration.