Written question asked by Gary Streeter (Conservative) on Wednesday, 21 April 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 26 April 1999. It was answered by Clare Short (Labour) on Monday, 26 April 1999 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has prepared to maintain support for refugees in Macedonia and Albania over the next few months.

Answer: Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has prepared to maintain support for refugees in Macedonia and Albania over the next few months. [82156] Clare Short: Our overriding aim is to enable the refugees to return to their homes as soon as possible. We recognise, however, that the refugees will require continuing support for some time to come, and are planning accordingly. We have established field offices in Tirana and Skopje, with experts in areas such as health and camp planning, to identify and respond to needs, both immediate and long term. We are strengthening the capacity of the humanitarian agencies themselves through secondment of expert personnel; and a DFID liaison officer is working with General Reith, the Commander of the British forces in Albania, to maximise the effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance they can provide. We have also begun, with the US, Germany, France and Italy, the planning for refugee returns to Kosovo.

Secondary information