Written question asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Crawley (Labour) on Monday, 21 April 2008.

Iraq: Refugees

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What assistance they are giving to the refugees in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps on the Iraq border.

Answer: The UK Government remain concerned about the situation for the more than 2,700 Palestinian refugees in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Department for International Development supports these refugees through contributions to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). DfID recently announced a further £15 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq, of which £10 million has gone to UNHCR and ICRC. This money will support displaced people in and from Iraq, including the Palestinians in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps. UNHCR and ICRC provide camp maintenance and medical assistance for the Palestinian refugees. UNHCR also pursues possibilities for resettlement for a number of these refugees to third countries. DfID has contributed £147 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq since 2003, of which £56 million has gone to UNHCR and ICRC.

Secondary information