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Wednesday Volume 497 21 October 2009 No. 128 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 21 October 2009 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2009 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 893 21 OCTOBER 2009 894 Mr. Foster: It is important that the international House of Commons community makes clear its position with regard to the number of people still in the camps and the importance Wednesday 21 October 2009 of freedom of movement. We believe that that is happening, but, as far as the Commonwealth’s position is concerned, I know that the Government of Sri Lanka are keen to The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock host the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in a couple of years’ time. That might have some bearing on their response to the developments for people who PRAYERS are in the camps. Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab): [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] May I thank the Minister for his statements and for his visit to Sri Lanka on behalf of my Tamil constituents? May I also ask his Department to support the EU Oral Answers to Questions Trade Commissioner’s GSP—or generalised system of preferences—plus report, which was issued on Monday, to ensure that preferred status will be withdrawn from Sri Lanka should things continue as they are? INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Mr. Foster: My hon. Friend has long been an advocate for her Tamil constituents and I applaud her for The Secretary of State was asked— her commitment. As regards the GSP plus and the announcement made this week by the European Sri Lanka Commission, there is a process that should be followed to maintain the integrity of the GSP plus system. We 1. Mr. Jim Cunningham (Coventry, South) (Lab): believe that in the meantime the Government of Sri What his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian Lanka should look at the findings and act on them situation of refugees in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a swiftly. statement. [294269] Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): As someone who The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for visited the camps earlier this year, along with you, International Development (Mr. Michael Foster): Two Mr. Speaker, I welcome the Minister’s report on the weeks ago, I visited Sri Lanka to see for myself the basic conditions in the camps. Does he agree with me, situation of the 250,000 internally displaced people however, that the Sri Lankan Government would better detained in camps. Conditions have improved there serve their interests if they gave full unrestricted access compared with my previous visit in April, with basic to the camp to the media and all the agencies and needs such as food and shelter being met. However, fulfilled their promise to allow people to return home health care and humanitarian access remain inadequate before Christmas? What are the chances of that happening? and we are concerned about military oversight of the camps and family separations. We also believe that Mr. Foster: The right hon. Gentleman knows the conditions will deteriorate during the monsoon season, situation well from his own experience and from his which is about to start. While I was in Sri Lanka, I experience as Chairman of the Select Committee. I repeated the United Kingdom’s call for freedom of agree entirely with his assessment that it is in the movement for all the IDPs so that they can go back to Government of Sri Lanka’s interest to allow open access host families, relatives or their places of origin. to the media. During the visit that I undertook two weeks ago, I had people from the BBC with me. It had Mr. Cunningham: May I ask my hon. Friend whether full access to camps and individuals within those camps he has been able to get a time scale for the Tamils to go to do whatever reporting it felt necessary. Let me give back to their homes in Sri Lanka? Also, how has the aid the right hon. Gentleman an indication of the scale of been distributed? the transfer that is needed. We have had a request from the International Organisation for Migration for transport Mr. Foster: The Government of Sri Lanka were assistance to help 41,000 people from the camps go committed to having 80 per cent. of those detained in back to Mannar, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, in addition camps going back to their places of origin by the end of to the 32,000 whom we know left the camps in September. the year. To facilitate that process, I am pleased to announce today an allocation of £500,000 to the HALO Mr. Eddie McGrady (South Down) (SDLP): I had Trust for mine surveillance and de-mining in the Mullaitivu the very distressing experience with the all-party group area. That work has started and will make the area safe of visiting the camps at Menik farms zones 2 and 3 at for homes and for land use for the people who were put Vavuniya. In spite of that distressing aspect, there was in the camps. an uplifting side to the visit because of the attitude of the people and their hope for the future. Will the Mr. Lee Scott (Ilford, North) (Con): Will the Minister Minister ensure that any aid that is forthcoming from look into whether further pressure can be put on Sri the Government is directed primarily at the welfare of Lanka by the Commonwealth? If Sri Lanka continues the people in the camps and their displacement back to not to let people return or go home from the camps, their own homes, which have been out of reach, to be perhaps it should be suspended from the Commonwealth. joined with their families? Secondly— 895 Oral Answers21 OCTOBER 2009 Oral Answers 896 Mr. Speaker: Order. I do not wish to be discourteous Mr. Reed: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, and to the hon. Gentleman, but I think that one question for the additional moneys that he has announced. However, will do. he will know that it is 25 years since the first Band Aid concert brought the Ethiopian food crisis to our attention. Mr. Foster: When I was in Sri Lanka, I made it clear Local Tearfund visitors say that even the weeds are not to the Government that from the end of this year, when growing in some areas. This is a long-term problem, not the monsoon season was brought to a conclusion, we just a short-term one. Will the Minister describe the would no longer be funding aid for closed camps and specific steps that he is taking to address the long-term that our aid would be directed towards facilitating climate change issues affecting the region, and Ethiopia movement from the camps. That includes the de-mining in particular, as well as the immediate food programmes to which I have referred and means that I can announce that are so desperately needed? £250,000 for predictable, safe and dignified transport for people from the camps back to host communities, as Mr. Thomas: My hon. Friend makes an important well as a further £220,000 to the Food and Agriculture point and I congratulate him on his work with Tearfund Organisation to provide bushels of rice seeds to enable and other similar aid agencies in his constituency. He people to have a decent livelihood when they get back will recognise that we are in a very different place now to their homes. from where we were some 25 years ago. There has been a substantial increase in the numbers of people getting Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold) (Con): The help. The proportion of people in Ethiopia in need of Minister has confirmed this morning that a package of emergency assistance is lower than 25 years ago, not rehabilitation measures is being put in place by the least because some of the support that we have provided Department. That is welcome, but he has also confirmed through in-country productive safety net programmes that emergency aid will be redirected away from the and humanitarian assistance. We continue to work with camps. The Government also voted against the $2.5 billion African leaders to make sure that their voices are also International Monetary Fund package in July and are heard in the climate change negotiations that are under now considering ending the EU’s special trade privileges way at the moment, and which we desperately hope will that the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Siobhain lead to a new global deal to replace Kyoto. McDonagh) mentioned. Is that really the most constructive Mr. Robertson: Ethiopia is one of the worst affected way to persuade the Sri Lankan Government to promote areas. The Government have provided welcome emergency a long-term reconciliation process, and to meet their relief, but the hon. Member for Loughborough (Mr. Reed) stated pledge that 80 per cent. of displaced people made a good point when he spoke about the long-term should be returned by Christmas? That is what members problems. I spoke to the ambassador just a few minutes of the Sri Lankan diaspora, and all Sri Lankan people ago, and he stressed the importance of providing in the UK, desperately want. development aid.
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