To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answer of 5 February 2003, Official Report, column 291W, on Central Africa, when she expects United Nations humanitarian assessment missions to enter the zones under rebel control. [98584]

To date, no humanitarian NGO or UN agency has been able to access zones under rebel control to assess the humanitarian and health needs of the population. We understand that a UN humanitarian assessment mission that was due to visit rebel zones on 6 February has been postponed; we have no details on when this will be rescheduled.