Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Yesterday, to a meeting addressed by George Soros and Simon Taylor of Global Witness, about the success of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and the steps that still need to be taken to ensure that oil and mineral wealth doesn't end up on the pockets of dictators like the appalling President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea.

This morning I spent from 07.30 to 11.00 in King's having an MRI of my head, a doppler scan of the neck arteries, and an interview with a consultant, to see whether there is an explanation for problems of balance I've had. No doubt this will become a bit clearer when she writes to my GP.

Then to the House, where I attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group on Iran, then asked a supplementary question following Richard Harries' question on the diversion of funds legally allocated to mitigating the disadvantages suffered by Dalits in India, into spending on the infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games. This had been admitted by the Home Minister and it was agreed that a way had to be found to restore the Dalit funding. I asked whether the UK would ask New Delhi what was their response to the recommendations made by the principal Dalit organisation, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, including an audit of the money diverted, by the Comptroller and Audtor General of India.

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