Deployment to Mali Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Deployment to Mali

Rushanara Ali Excerpts
Tuesday 29th January 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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Yes, I can assure my hon. Friend that DFID and Foreign Office officials and Ministers are in touch with their French counterparts and that there has been a great deal of traffic backwards and forwards between London and Paris over the past 10 days.

Rushanara Ali Portrait Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Lab)
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The Secretary of State mentioned £5 million being contributed towards United Nations funds. What proportion of that will come from the Ministry of Defence budget and what proportion, if any, will come from DFID budgets? Will he also tell us when we can expect an announcement on what kind of humanitarian assistance the British Government will provide and when?

Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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I will alert my right hon. Friend the International Development Secretary to the hon. Lady’s last question and ensure that when a further statement is made to the House—I anticipate that it will be made very shortly—that issue will be covered in it.

I am not absolutely certain, but I assume that the £5 million that I referred to will come from the conflict pool, which is a cross-Government, tri-departmental pool of money. If I am wrong about that, I will write to the hon. Lady and place a copy of the letter in the House.