§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had recently with representatives of the Government of Yugoslavia about refugees within Yugoslavia. [67184]
§ Clare ShortAssistance for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia falls under the remit of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the European Commission Humanitarian Affairs Office (ECHO). We are supporting the work of these agencies by contributing significant amounts of funds, including 19.7 per cent. of the "69.3 million ECHO budget (made up of "47.8 million to Rep. of Serbia, "14 million to Kosovo and "7.5 million to Rep. of Montenegro).
In addition to this, we are working very closely with the Yugoslav and Serbian authorities on a programme of social and economic reforms that will help to improve the living conditions of the poorest people in the FRY, including refugees and IDPs. We are funding a £3.2 million programme of social policy reforms that will strengthen the delivery of social welfare, health, employment and education services in Serbia. We are also working closely with the World Bank on a major social services adjustment credit that will enable the Serbian authorities to make further progress in these areas.
These plans are described in detail in our Country Strategy Paper for the FRY, which is available in the library of the House.