§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2003,Official Report, column 512W, (1) which humanitarian requests they have decided to respond to in Teso, Uganda;[133545]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Teso, Uganda. [133546]
§ Hilary BennIt has been estimated by the World Food Programme that 305,899 people are currently displaced in the Teso region.
A public health expert funded by DFID Uganda recently visited Teso to assess the humanitarian situation. She reported that the most pressing immediate needs are food for the displaced, and maintenance of adequate water and sanitation services in areas of high population density.
DFID has therefore made available a further £1.87 million to the World Food Programme for the purchase and distribution of food, and is currently discussing further humanitarian support requirements with UNICEF and the Red Cross.