Iraq (Hansard, 27 March 2003)

§ Mr. Lyons
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK will invest in reconstruction and aid to Iraq in 2003–04. [104728]

§ Clare Short
My Department has an ongoing programme of humanitarian support to the people of Iraq which is delivered through NGOs and international organisations. This programme is allocated £6 million in 2003–04.
In addition, I have committed £50 million to support preparations and work by humanitarian agencies in the current crisis. This includes £32 million for the Red Cross/Red Crescent and £8 million for the World Food Programme. My Department has a further £40 million set aside for the immediate humanitarian response and is considering further assistance in line with emerging needs.
DFID also provides 19 per cent. of European Community (EC) funding for Iraq. On 21 March the College of European Commissioners proposed to release an additional € 79 million from their Emergency Aid Reserve, increasing their total commitment to €100 million. This funding is still to be approved by the European Council.
It is too soon to allocate funds for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

§ Mr. Caton
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria will be used to determine whether Iraq is too insecure for civilian humanitarian agencies to operate within its borders. [104873]

§ Clare Short
Humanitarian agencies cannot operate until a permissive security environment has been established. Until such time as alternative arrangements are made, the military will discharge their humanitarian obligations under the Geneva and The Hague352W conventions in order to provide relief in the interim in the territory they occupy. The Office of the UN Security Co-ordinator (UNSECOORD) provides security advice to the UN humanitarian agencies. Once the situation allows, NGOs will need to undertake their own security assessments before engaging. Security updates are being provided through the Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much pre-positioned stocks of humanitarian aid is held by USAID for the people of Iraq. [105020]

§ Clare Short
So far, USAID has announced $154 million for humanitarian relief, food distribution, reconstruction and transition initiatives. The State Department's Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration has also contributed over $15 million to agency pre-positioning efforts.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is being done to(a) ensure the safety of pre-positioned stocks of humanitarian aid for Iraqi people and (b) open access to them. [105021]

§ Clare Short
DFID has been in close discussion with the Ministry of Defence over many months working to minimise the humanitarian impact of any conflict; both to limit the risks to the Iraqi population and the infrastructure on which they depend, and to ensure that UK forces meet their obligations under The Hague and Geneva conventions governing armed conflict.
DFID has provided funding to humanitarian agencies to enable them to pre-position stocks for the Iraqi people. Agencies use their standard operating procedures to monitor these stocks. The armed forces provide security advice on access issues. Distribution of humanitarian supplies is based on assessments of need and giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress, rather than open access to all.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has given to(a) USAID, (b) the UN and (c) non-governmental organisations for humanitarian contingency plans for Iraq. [105022]

§ Clare Short
USAID is the development arm of the US government. DFID obviously does not fund it.
To date, DFID has committed £50 million to support preparations and work by humanitarian agencies in the current crisis. Of this, £13 million has been committed to UN agencies and £32 million to the International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. £5 million has been committed to NGOs, of which specific agreements have been reached to date for £1 million. My Department has a further £40 million set aside for the immediate humanitarian response and is considering further assistance in line with emerging needs. We anticipate a further appeal from the UN and are continuing to assess proposals from NGOs.
DFID also provide 19 per cent. of European Community (EC) funding for Iraq. On 21 March the College of European Commissioners proposed to release an additional €79 million from the Emergency 353W Aid Reserve, increasing their total commitment to €100 million. This funding is still to be approved by the Council.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which international non-governmental organisations and local Iraqi non-governmental organisations she is in discussions with concerning the situation in Iraq; and when these discussions commenced. [105023]

§ Clare Short
My officials have been meeting with NGOs in London for several weeks and are liasing with them in the region. Until now we have not been in a position to meet with local Iraqi non-governmental organisations.
DFID has received and is urgently assessing a substantial number of proposals from NGOs.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the likelihood of using frozen Iraqi Government assets for humanitarian relief and post-conflict reconstruction; and how much this money is estimated to be. [105025]

§ Clare Short
In accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 661, 687 and 778, the UK Government have the power to freeze the accounts of the Government of Iraq, bodies incorporated in Iraq and residents of Iraq. UK banks hold US$648 million in frozen Iraqi assets.
The UK Government do not have the power to appropriate the assets in these accounts, and we are considering how best to deal with them. Subject to protecting the legitimate interests of private asset holders, we are keen that those assets held in the UK, as well as those held worldwide, should be used for the future benefit of the people of Iraq.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans are in place to deal with water and sanitation contaminated by biological weapons in Iraq. [105026]

§ Clare Short
Use of biological weapons is a risk which no humanitarian agency is properly prepared to respond to. UK and US military strategy aims to minimise this risk. The Ministry of Defence are considering what limited response they could provide in the event of an attack on Iraqi civilians.

§ Nick Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions and representations she has had with the(a) United States, (b) United Nations, (c) European Union, (d) other states and (e) organisations and individuals regarding the reconstruction and development of (i) broadcasting and (ii) cultural services in Iraq; and if she will make a statement; [105039]
(2) how much her Department has committed to the reconstruction of broadcasting and cultural services in Iraq, broken down by type; and what proportion this constitutes of the total post-conflict funds for such measures. [105040]

§ Clare Short
It is too soon to allocate funds for the post-war reconstruction of Iraqi broadcasting and cultural services. We are having some discussions on these and other reconstruction issues, but our first354W priority is to secure a UN mandate to provide legal authority for the overall reconstruction effort. This would make possible the engagement of the International Financial Institutions and the wider international community. The Government are holding on-going discussions with key partners to ensure such a mandate is put in place.