asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are discussing with the Government of Israel the civilian casualties occurring daily in Lebanon from cluster weapons launched during the war earlier this year; and whether they have requested full details including maps of where they were used to facilitate clearance.[HL8072]

We have held discussions about unexploded ordnance with the Government of Israel (GoI) and called on them to make a public statement about their use of cluster munitions in the recent conflict with Lebanon. We have also asked the GoI to hand over all relevant maps locating unexploded ordnance. We would expect the GoI to investigate any credible allegations of improper use of munitions. We continue to be concerned about levels of unexploded ordnance and cluster munitions in south Lebanon. In response to the recent crisis in Lebanon, the Department for International Development has provided £205,000 to the Mines Advisory Group for clearance of unexploded ordnance and has a commitment to provide a sum of £l million to the UN Mine Action Service for similar tasking.