Written question asked by Hugh Bayley (Labour) on Monday, 29 January 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 31 January 2007. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Monday, 5 February 2007 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Iraq: Refugees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Iraqi refugees there are in (a) Egypt, (b) Lebanon and (c) each state bordering Iraq; how much the Government has allocated for assisting these refugees in 2006-07; if the Government will increase the money allocated for this purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: We are very concerned at the increasing numbers of people displaced due to sectarian violence in Iraq.UNHCR estimate the total number of Iraqi refugees living in neighbouring countries has risen to 1.8 million, including; 25,000 to 40,000 in Lebanon, 700,000 in Jordan, estimates of up to 1,000,000 in Syria, 100,000 in Egypt, 16,000 in Turkey and 54,000 in Iran. UNHCR reporting does not give estimates for Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.We have recently announced a £4 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide emergency assistance, including water, medical supplies and rehabilitation of health infrastructure to vulnerable people, including internally displaced people (IDPs) inside Iraq. We are also considering UNHCR's appeal, which includes help to refugees in neighbouring countries. This brings our total humanitarian contribution for Iraq to over £120 million since 2003. Additionally, DFID provided £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which provides support to internally displaced persons through UN agencies.Above all the first priority of the Iraqi Government must be to end the violence that is causing this situation, with the support of the international community and the region.

Secondary information