My noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown has made the following written ministerial statement:

“In my reply on 23 July to the below question from my noble Friend Lord Judd, I incorrectly stated that the UK's contribution to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was £98 million, Official Report, column WA71. I regret the error and my corrected answer is given below:

The Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many of the Iraqi refugees in Syria are thought to be the victims of torture; and what discussions they have had with the Government of Syria and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on how best to respond. HL4895

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The UK is not in a position to assess the numbers of Iraqi refugees in Syria that have been victims of torture. We have not had any discussions on this issue with either the UNHCR or the Government of Syria.

The UK continues to support the UNHCR's leading role in providing humanitarian support to Iraq Refugees in Syria. In 2006 the UK contributed approximately US$52 million (approximately £26 million) to support the work of the UNHCR worldwide, including in Syria. In addition, officials from our Embassy in Damascus have visited the UNHCR refugee reception centre in Damascus to assess the conditions there. We are now looking at supporting a range of projects aimed at improving conditions for Iraqi refugees, specifically in the areas of education and healthcare”.