§ 6. Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on debt relief for Iraq. [111521]
§ Clare ShortIraq has a serious debt problem as well as considerable compensation claims. We support the IMF's efforts to assess Iraq's economic needs. We also welcome the recent announcement by the Paris Club that they stand ready to engage. As a first step, Paris Club creditors, including the UK, have agreed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of Iraq's debts. They will review debt sustainability further in the coming months.
§ 8. Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on delivering humanitarian aid to Iraq. [111523]
§ Ms KeebleMy Department has had regular discussions with EU colleagues at official and ministerial level to talk about humanitarian aid to Iraq. The EU is providing 100 million euros of emergency aid.
§ 13. Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on reconstruction in Iraq. [111528]
§ Clare ShortThe Geneva Convention and the Hague Regulations impose obligations on occupying powers to provide for humanitarian needs, keep order and to keep the civil administration operating. The Office for 731W Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) has a leading responsibility for the fulfilment of these requirements.
Once there is a UN mandate for reconstruction the UK, the international community and in particular the international financial institutions will be able to engage in reconstruction needs in Iraq. World bank and International Monetary Fund economic and social needs assessments will begin in the coming weeks. Our engagement will reflect the needs highlighted in these assessments.
§ 14. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the humanitarian relief programme in Iraq. [111529]
§ Clare ShortI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Fife (Mr. MacDougall) earlier today (PQ 111519).
§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answers of 27 March 2003,Official Report, columns 353–54W, on broadcasting and cultural services, what measures she is taking to reconstruct (a) broadcasting and (b) cultural services in Iraq. [110835]
§ Clare ShortAs I said on 27 March 2003, a UN mandate for reconstruction is a legal requirement for UK involvement in significant reform of Iraqi institutions. Iraq's reconstruction needs will be substantial and it is too soon to determine specific allocations.
In the interim, we are supporting the BBC's World Service Trust which broadcasts an Arabic language programme, entitled 'Calling Iraq', from Cyprus. The programme focuses on humanitarian issues such as food, health, water and education.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment her Department has carried out of whether schemes similar to UNTAC's Operation Paymaster could be implemented in an interim Administration in Iraq; [111059]
(2) whether the Government (a) are partly to and (b) have been involved in negotiations to ensure that the wages of civil servants are guaranteed in an interim Administration established in Iraq. [111061]
§ Clare ShortDFID has made no assessment of whether a scheme similar to UNTAC's Operation Paymaster could be implemented in an interim Iraqi Administration.
The Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) is currently paying some Iraqi public sector workers to keep the civil Administration running. ORHA and others are currently reviewing the most appropriate manner in which to pay public sector workers and hope to implement a sustainable and equitable system nationwide as soon as possible.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the needs of Iraq's civil servants in order to establish a working civil service in the country. [111062]
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§ Clare ShortThe Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) and the military, are currently assessing the needs of Iraq's civil servants and how best to get Iraq's Administration back up and running.
§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to ensure the involvement of women and women's groups in the reconstruction of Iraq. [111165]
§ Clare ShortDFID will strive to ensure women are included in all phases and levels of reconstruction in Iraq. We must help Iraqi women to secure the gains they have achieved and ensure that women's rights are a central part of Iraq's post-war agenda. We are discussing these issues with our partners, including the UN.
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made on the incidences of(a) cholera and (b) other diseases related to polluted water sources in Iraqi cities following the invasions of Iraq. [111236]
§ Clare ShortOn 27 April 2003, the UN Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI) reported that the health situation in Iraq in general was stable. The number of diarrhoea cases was within normally expected limits.
On 6 May 2003, the World Health Organisation reported seven cases of cholera in Basra and is monitoring the situation.
Most agency assessments are available from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) website at: www.agoodplacetostart.org
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of how long existing food stocks will last without replenishment in(a) northern, (b) central and (c) southern Iraq. [111699]
§ Clare ShortWorld Food Programme (WFP) reports indicate that the amount of food distributed by the Oil for Food Programme (OFF) prior to the start of the conflict varies by region. WFP is currently in discussion with Iraq's Ministry of Trade and OFF Public Distribution System officials to ascertain the levels of food pre-positioned at local level.
WFP estimates that existing family food stocks could begin running out soon. The WFP has pipeline stocks for May and June 2003, although there are shortages of some commodities. On 24 April 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend provisions of resolution 1472 from 12 May until 3 June 2003. This enables the UN to process those existing orders under the Oil for Food (OFF) programme which can be dispatched to Iraq by 3 June 2003. Outside of OFF, WFP are also procuring some foodstuffs from the region. They are aiming to build up supplies similar to those previously supplied by the Oil for Food Programme (480,000 tonnes of food per month) as soon as possible. Meanwhile, food continues to be distributed through the OFF Public Distribution System wherever possible.
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§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether it is her policy that Iraqi money held in United Nations Accounts should be used to help cover the operational costs and administrative expenses of the new food distribution programme in Iraq; and whether she plans to cap these costs. [111700]
§ Clare ShortIt will be important to get food distribution re-established as soon as possible. 16 million Iraqis depended on the Oil for Food Programme before the conflict. We are working with the UN's Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to achieve this.
On 24 April 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend provisions of resolution 1472 from 12 May until 3 June 2003. This enables the UN to process those existing orders under the Oil for Food (OFF) programme, which can be dispatched to Iraq by 3 June 2003. UNSCR 1472 permits use of UN escrow account funds for some operational aspects of OFF.
Early indications suggest that the distribution network has, in those provinces that have been assessed, survived the conflict. It has been reported that many food agents want to resume work and have been reporting to distribution centres. The WFP and OIP, in conjunction with the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, are investigating how best to reactivate the OFF public distribution system.