HC Deb 17 March 2003 vol 401 cc509-10W
Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of Afghan refugees in(a) Pakistan and (b) Iran; and what financial support she is giving to each group. [102741]

Clare Short

The numbers of refugees still in exile fluctuate constantly. At the beginning of this year, UNHCR estimated that two million refugees remained in Iran and 1.5 million in Pakistan.

DFID is supporting refugee programmes through various UN agencies and NGOs. Overall we have contributed over £5.8 million for refugee programmes administered by UNHCR and a further £1 million to a variety of other agencies also involved in refugee assistance.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on levels of(a) malnutrition and (b) violence against women among Afghan refugees in refugee camps in (i) Pakistan and (ii) Iran. [102743]

Clare Short

Neither DFID nor its implementing partners that assist refugees (UNI-ICR, WFP, ICRC) have specific information on malnutrition or levels of violence in refugee camps.

WFP estimates that over 50 per cent. of children under five in Afghanistan are chronically malnourished while acute malnutrition affects less than 10 per cent. of the population. I have just approved a further £700,000 for WFP's operations in Afghanistan that include food assistance to vulnerable people still in camps.

We have contributed £5.8 million this financial year to UNHCR's programmes for refugees in Pakistan and Iran. These include a component for monitoring of camps, protection officers and funding for legal aid for vulnerable people including women.

encourage their regeneration whilst improving structural diversity and biodiversity.

Appendix estimates of emissions of main air pollutants from domestic and industrial wood combustion compared with UK total (National Atmospheric Emission Inventory 2000):

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of internally displaced people in Afghanistan; and what support she is providing for them. [102742]

Clare Short

According to UNHCR reports there are still around 700,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Afghanistan. The continuing drought in the South is I understand, causing further displacement.

During 2002, international agencies helped over 250,000 IDPs to return home. And a further 200,000 are estimated to have returned home on their own. In the current financial year we have contributed £5.8 million to UNHCR's programmes for IDPs and returnees, including £1.8 million this month. The continuing challenge in Afghanistan is to help meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable people, whilst building Government capacity for sustainable reconstruction. We remain fully committed to these ends.