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Dept for International Development

Answer

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the (a) cost and (b) logistics of aid operations established to replace the oil for food programme for Iraq. [101654] Clare Short: Current annual expenditures under the UN oil for food programme run at around $10 billion, the largest elements of which are the food allocation ($3 billion) and basic service delivery supplies (health, education, water and sanitation, and electricity-- $2 billion). In the event of military action, we will work with others to minimise disruption to the programme and re-establish it as quickly as possible. During any period in which the programme was not able to function, the responsibility to provide immediate humanitarian relief would fall to those best placed to help, and my Department has been working with the Ministry of Defence and other partners on how best this might be done. The potential scale of this task, for a population of whom 60 per cent. are dependent on the programme, is enormous. The costs involved would obviously vary depending on the length of any disruption, but the ability of the international community to meet them will be greatly enhanced if a lead role for the UN is put in place for the relief and reconstruction of Iraq following any conflict.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

401 c172W; 101654

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Costs Armed conflict Humanitarian aid Iraq Food supply Oil Iraq conflict

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk