I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together.
The suffering of the people of Iraq, especially children, and the problems in implementing the United Nations humanitarian programmes in Iraq continue to be of deep concern to the Government. We have held discussions with the various parties at the UN and would hope that further progress will have been made on this issue by the time that we take our seat on the Security Council in January. As a member of the council, we will be considering the situation in Iraq both in the light of developments and also in line with Government policy. Ireland stands by its obligation under the UN charter to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council.
We have consistently raised within the United Nations and the EU the urgent need to improve the conditions of the general population in Iraq. The Security Council clearly needs to take full account of the grave humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people in its further consideration of the sanctions issue. Our policy has been to advocate greater reductions in the number of refusals and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme. The Taoiseach and I raised this issue with the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, in Washington in March, and urged the United States, as a permanent member of the Security Council, to seek to reduce the delays on needed medicines and spare parts for infrastructure.
In response to widespread international concern, the Security Council, acting under the provisions of Resolution 1284, has unconditionally removed the ceiling on the export of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian supplies.
The Council has also introduced an accelerated procedure for the approval of humanitarian supplies, in operation since the beginning of March. Under this streamlined procedure some $2 billion worth of contracts for food, education, medical, agricultural, water and sanitation sectors have been approved on a basis of notification of the Council. The Council also agreed to make a greater allocation for spare parts for the ailing Iraqi oil industry, doubling this budget to $1.2 billion.
Nevertheless, the UN Secretary General in his report to the Council of 8 September expressed concern about the negative impact on the rehabilitation of Iraqi infrastructure of holds and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme.