HL Deb 09 July 2003 vol 651 cc41-2WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they and other humanitarian groups are able to provide emergency aid to 140,000 displaced people in 14 refugee camps in Aceh. [HL3705]

Baroness Amos

DfID is providing emergency humanitarian relief to displaced people in Aceh from grants to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These grants total £2.75 million and are also available for humanitarian crises elsewhere in Indonesia and to support human rights protection work.

Access to displaced people in Aceh remains a problem. UN agencies and NGOs are currently not permitted into camps. The UN is in discussion with the Government of Indonesia to secure adequate access.

Officials in DfID are in regular contact with humanitarian agencies and NGOs, and are ready to respond to additional needs should these arise.