Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to healthcare systems in countries affected by the Zika virus.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Department for International Development is working with the Department for Heath, who are leading the UK government’s response to Zika, and Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation in galvanising an effective international response.
DFID is adapting ongoing health programmes to focus on preparing for Zika. DFID has active health system strengthening programmes in many of our partner countries. DFID provides support to the health sector in a number of countries in South East Asia and the Commonwealth Caribbean.
These programmes aim to build the capacity of health systems to prevent, detect, and treat communicable disease outbreaks. These countries already respond to dengue, which is transmitted through the same vector as the Zika virus.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the efforts to find a cure for the Zika virus.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The UK is supporting and commissioning research to better understand Zika virus, its epidemiology and impacts, with a particular focus on the risk to developing countries, and research into interventions to address this virus. This includes:
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid has been spent on programmes to support (a) children who have been conscripted as child soldiers by Daesh, (b) other children who have been held in captivity by Daesh and (c) women and girls who have been held in sexual slavery by Daesh.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
We are very concerned about appalling crimes committed by Daesh in Iraq and Syria, including against women and young children. We strongly condemn their use of sexual slavery, sexual violence, rape and kidnapping. Likewise, we have seen reports of children in Daesh-held areas being forced into military training after the militant group closed down their schools - leaving an estimated total of over 670,000 children without the opportunity of a proper education.
In Syria and Iraq, DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all civilians’ rights are protected. However, we do not earmark our aid as being solely for Daesh victims or victims of other groups. The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable people wherever they are, in accordance with international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality. Consequently all UK funded humanitarian assistance is distributed on the basis of need, and need alone, regardless of politics, religion, ethnicity or place of origin.
The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion for the response to the Syria crisis. Some of this funding is enabling partner agencies to provide specialist assistance to those affected by sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including safe spaces, psychosocial support, cash assistance and reproductive healthcare. By June 2015, UK assistance had provided SGBV focussed interventions to over 197,000 individuals in Syria and the region. In addition, more than 673,000 children have been reached with child protection initiatives across Syria and the region.
Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding these children is by defeating Daesh and establishing a lasting peace in both Syria and Iraq. The UK Government is committed to this aim: we have a comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and continue to work with our international partners and the UN towards a political settlement in Syria.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government plans to take, other than by offering support to other countries in the region, to ensure that the UK meets its international obligations to refugees from the conflict in Syria.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK is at the forefront of the response to the Syrian crisis and has committed over £1.1 billion to date. This makes us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. We continue to play a leading role in encouraging the international community to contribute generously to the UN appeals. We are exploring with the UN and major donors how best to ensure that the momentum on fund-raising is maintained in the longer term, including in response to the upcoming 2016 Appeals.
The conflict raises significant protection concerns for civilians. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to respect International Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for impartial humanitarian agencies to provide vital assistance to those in need.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling ebola in West Africa; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
The UK’s main objective is to support the Government of Sierra Leone to reach and then maintain zero cases of Ebola as quickly as possible. Huge progress has been made, and it is clear our strategy is working. Case numbers have reduced from a peak of more than 500 in late November 2014, to eight cases in the week ending 21st June 2015. We expect there to be a bumpy tail of cases before zero is reached and so we cannot become complacent. The UK response will continue to adapt as the epidemiology changes, and will remain flexible and responsive until Sierra Leone gets to zero. We are now proactively seeking out cases through enhanced active surveillance, strengthened social mobilisation, and scaling up of contact tracing - all critical in the final mile to reach zero.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage clothing retailers to interrogate their supply chains in China to assess the working conditions of people working in that country.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK government works with business to provide guidance for companies to meet their obligations to respect human rights throughout their operations. Recent changes to the Companies Act have strengthened requirements for company reporting to include these issues.
DFID has developed a package of activities - including engagement with clothing retailers - to address unsafe working conditions in the garment sector in Bangladesh, following the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, which will have wider benefits. In terms of UK companies engaging with HMG on working conditions, DFID does not have a bilateral programme with China.