Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of the damage to Mosul and other towns and villages in northern Iraq following recent fighting; which bodies have responsibility for the reconstruction of those areas; and what discussions they have held, or plan to hold, with other governments and agencies on these matters.
Answered by Lord Bates
The costs of the damage to Mosul and northern Iraq following recent fighting as well as the previous occupation by Daesh are great and currently still being assessed. The World Bank is due to release its Damage Needs Assessment Report shortly which will contain the most up to date estimate of the costs and will be available to the wider public.
Reconstruction of these areas is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq who has allocated $350m so far for reconstruction efforts in their 2018 draft budget. UK officials regularly hold meetings with the GOI to discuss reconstruction needs and are encouraging the GOI to use an upcoming Kuwaiti-hosted reconstruction conference as an opportunity to attract private sector investment.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of the damage to (1) Aleppo, (2) Raqqa, and (3) other towns and villages in northern Syria, following recent fighting; which bodies have responsibility for the reconstruction of those areas; and what discussions they have held, or plan to hold, with other governments and agencies on these matters.
Answered by Lord Bates
While the conflict is ongoing, our priority is to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected. The UK will only provide support for reconstruction once a credible, genuine and inclusive political transition is firmly underway. It is not possible at present to assess accurately the costs of reconstruction.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to assist the organisations and volunteers in the UK taking action to help refugees (1) in the Calais area, (2) in the Dodecanese islands, and (3) elsewhere in Europe.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. The UK has pledged over £1.12 billion, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US and have done more than any other European country.
The UK’s priority is to stop the deaths of migrants making perilous journeys. We believe the right approach is to support people to stay in a place of safety in their home or host countries. To this end we are increasing our work to support longer term stability and resilience-building inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.
We are providing £15 million to organisations working in Europe, which includes immediate humanitarian support to migrants and refugees who have made the journey to Europe. Our package of support includes life-saving aid to protect the most vulnerable people, as well as support to governments in managing registration in Europe and the Western Balkans.