asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they are giving to the refugees in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps on the Iraq border. [HL2642]
The UK Government remain concerned about the situation for the more than 2,700 Palestinian refugees in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Department for International Development supports these refugees through contributions to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). DfID recently announced a further £15 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq, of which £10 million has gone to UNHCR and ICRC. This money will support displaced people in and from Iraq, including the Palestinians in the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps. UNHCR and ICRC provide camp maintenance and medical assistance for the Palestinian refugees. UNHCR also pursues possibilities for resettlement for a number of these refugees to third countries.
DfID has contributed £147 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq since 2003, of which £56 million has gone to UNHCR and ICRC.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the letter sent by 24 refugee and human rights agencies to the Prime Minister on 18 March on Iraqi refugees. [HL2768]
The UK Government share the concerns for displaced Iraqis, as set out by the 24 NGOs in the open letter of 18 March to the UK and Iraqi Prime Ministers and the US President.
It is a priority for the UK Government to alleviate humanitarian suffering among displaced and vulnerable Iraqis. This is the reason the Department for International Development has recently announced a further £15 million in humanitarian assistance. The money will go to the UN-led Consolidated Appeal for Iraq, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This takes the UK Government's overall humanitarian assistance contributions for Iraq to £147 million since 2003. DfID's contributions have supported the provision of food, financial and legal aid to displaced and other vulnerable Iraqis. It has also supported the rehabilitation of hospital water and sanitation structures in Iraq and the upgrading of health and education facilities in host communities and countries. In addition, the UK is a major contributor to the European Commission (EC). Last year, the EC allocated €50 million in support of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region. This included €9 million to support Syrian public health services in areas with large Iraqi populations, and €26.7 million to build capacity in the Jordanian education sector to accommodate Iraqi refugee children.
DfID's contributions to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) support the protection of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region. By registering with UNHCR, refugees obtain improved legal protection in countries that have not signed up to the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention. UNHCR is continuously increasing its outreach efforts to register more Iraqis in countries such as Jordan and Syria. UNHCR also provides food and financial assistance to prevent destitution among the refugees. Other protection measures include UNHCR support to safe houses for victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable women and children in Syria.