Written question asked by Hugh Bayley (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 9 September 2011. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 September 2011 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Refugees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the Liboi reception centre for refugees arriving in Kenya from Somalia; what assistance his Department has provided to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for that facility; and what barriers he has identified to the opening of the centre.

Answer: I raised the issue with the Kenyan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during my visit to Kenya in July this year. In addition, Department for International Development (DFID) receives regular written and verbal reports and officials are in close contact with the Government of Kenya (GoK) on the Liboi reception centre. The GoK and UNHCR have reached an agreement on opening the Liboi reception centre. Once building has started, UNHCR estimates that there will be sufficient infrastructure in place to receive refugees within two weeks, but that full completion will take an additional two months.These plans are however, subject to final authorisation from the GoK, which has valid security concerns over the management of its border with Somalia, and to the capacity of GoK, UNHCR and other organisations involved to set up and staff a new facility quickly. DFID provides some unearmarked funding to UNHCR 's Kenya operation for them to allocate according to emerging priority gaps, including Liboi.

Secondary information