Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support, if any, they plan to give to the government of Bangladesh to accommodate Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Bates
We are working at the highest levels with the government, other donors and the UN to improve access and ensure that aid reaches those that need it most. However this is a changing situation and there is not yet access to the conflict areas for a needs assessment. We are working with others to establish a picture of what is happening, where people are and what shape they are in. The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the displaced population in both Burma and Bangladesh. DFID has already committed £5.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. This is reaching 55,188 people with a range of support including food, education and protection of the safety and dignity of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. A further £5 million is being made available to provide urgent assistance to newly arriving refugees with needs such as food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Within Rakhine State we have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. The UK Government is deeply concerned about the violence against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma’s Rakhine State, and the plight of thousands fleeing their homes.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 26 April (HL7737), what representations they have made to the government of Israel about why it rejected Turkey’s proposal of a floating power-generating ship to help solve the electricity crisis in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK has not made representations to Israel about this specific issue. We are in regular discussion with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other development actors, specifically the UN and EU, about Gaza’s energy crisis. Improving Gaza’s provision of electricity will in turn improve Gaza’s water supply and wastewater treatment. We regularly call on both parties to work on solutions to increase the electricity supply, including press for the extension of the 161 power line and progress towards the conversion of the Gazan power station to gas.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the state of the latest humanitarian truce in Yemen, in the light of the airstrikes by the Arab states coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK fully supports the UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Yemen to ensure life-saving assistance can reach all populations in need.
During the humanitarian pause in Yemen from 12 to 17 May 2015, according to the UN, humanitarian partners were able to deliver: a month's worth of food to more than 400,000 people; access to safe water for 1.2 million people; emergency shelter and medical supplies for more than 400,000 patients; and nutritional supplies to treat almost 35,000 malnourished children.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the proposed establishment of an international enclave, protected by the United Nations, in Syria and Iraq to house internally displaced people.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK welcomes any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria and Iraq. The situation in Syria and Iraq is incredibly complex, and international enclaves are not currently feasible. For such a safe area to work in any context, all parties to the conflict would need to agree on its establishment. In the absence of such an agreement, this would require foreign military intervention, authorised by a UN Security Council resolution.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have provided any financial support for the redevelopment of houses destroyed during recent floods in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The UK government has not received a request from the Indian Government for financial assistance. In 2012, DFID announced that it would end our traditional financial grant aid to India in 2015. From this year on, our partnership will be based on sharing skills and expertise, investing in private sector projects that benefit the poor, and working together on global development issues.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any resources have been directed to the Turkmen community in Iraq, many of whom have been displaced from their home, as well as the Christian and Yizhidei communities.
Answered by Baroness Northover
DFID has allocated £39.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq since June and is delivering a range of life-saving assistance such as food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical care to those who have been displaced by the conflict.
All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion or ethnicity. Our aid is reaching thousands of vulnerable displaced people across Iraq. This has included delivering aid to thousands of people trapped by ISIL in the Iraqi town of Amerli, including many from the Turkmen community.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are liaising with the government of Pakistan in order to assist internally displaced persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Before the military operation in North Waziristan which started in June 2014, the UK had provided £7 million to support internally displaced people in Northern Pakistan. This helped 400,000 people access safe water and sanitation; supplied 150,000 people with food packages; and supported over 6,000 families to rebuild their livelihoods.
Since the beginning of the current military operation an additional one million people have registered as displaced. In response to this the UK has provided a further £4.7 million. This will support some of the most vulnerable people who have been identified by our partners in a joint assessment run by the UN and the Government of Pakistan. We remain in close contact with the Federal Government of Pakistan, the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all of our partners, including the EU, to ensure an efficient, coordinated response.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much financial and material aid they have given to Pakistan in total to deal with the situation affecting internally displaced persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Before the military operation in North Waziristan which started in June 2014, the UK had provided £7 million to support internally displaced people in Northern Pakistan. This helped 400,000 people access safe water and sanitation; supplied 150,000 people with food packages; and supported over 6,000 families to rebuild their livelihoods.
Since the beginning of the current military operation an additional one million people have registered as displaced. In response to this the UK has provided a further £4.7 million. This will support some of the most vulnerable people who have been identified by our partners in a joint assessment run by the UN and the Government of Pakistan. We remain in close contact with the Federal Government of Pakistan, the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all of our partners, including the EU, to ensure an efficient, coordinated response.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to coordinate financial and material aid from the European Union and the United Nations to help internally displaced persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Before the military operation in North Waziristan which started in June 2014, the UK had provided £7 million to support internally displaced people in Northern Pakistan. This helped 400,000 people access safe water and sanitation; supplied 150,000 people with food packages; and supported over 6,000 families to rebuild their livelihoods.
Since the beginning of the current military operation an additional one million people have registered as displaced. In response to this the UK has provided a further £4.7 million. This will support some of the most vulnerable people who have been identified by our partners in a joint assessment run by the UN and the Government of Pakistan. We remain in close contact with the Federal Government of Pakistan, the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all of our partners, including the EU, to ensure an efficient, coordinated response.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the condition of internally displaced persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Before the military operation in North Waziristan which started in June 2014, the UK had provided £7 million to support internally displaced people in Northern Pakistan. This helped 400,000 people access safe water and sanitation; supplied 150,000 people with food packages; and supported over 6,000 families to rebuild their livelihoods.
Since the beginning of the current military operation an additional one million people have registered as displaced. In response to this the UK has provided a further £4.7 million. This will support some of the most vulnerable people who have been identified by our partners in a joint assessment run by the UN and the Government of Pakistan. We remain in close contact with the Federal Government of Pakistan, the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all of our partners, including the EU, to ensure an efficient, coordinated response.