Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that displaced civilians now in Idlib province be offered safe passage to more peaceful areas in Syria.
Answered by Lord Bates
Half of the current population of Idlib are people who have already been displaced. It is right that those people should be safe from attack, and ultimately be able to return to their homes, but this can only happen when it is safe for them to do so.
With our international partners, the UK continues to use our position at the UN and International Syria Support Group to advocate for the protection of civilians in Syria. This includes calling on the Syrian regime and it backers to uphold the ceasefire they have agreed and respect international humanitarian law, as well as allowing humanitarian agencies unfettered access to deliver aid to those who need it most.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about people displaced in Deraa Province, Syria who are refused access into Jordan; what assessment they have made of the number of such people; and what steps they are taking to help meet their needs for shelter and subsistence.
Answered by Lord Bates
The offensive by the Assad regime and its backers on the southwest of Syria has had a devastating impact on civilians. Over 250,000 people have reportedly been displaced so far, some of them multiple times. Of these, an estimated 160,000 civilians have now returned home.
DFID-funded partners, including the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, are providing the most vulnerable people in the southwest, including those in Deraa province, with water, basic shelter materials, hygiene items and cash grants, where and when access allows.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £1.1 million they allocated for essential infrastructure for vulnerable Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank has yet to be spent.
Answered by Lord Bates
In 2016 DFID fully disbursed £900,000 for its project to support Palestinian development in Area C. An additional £200,000 provided by the FCO has recently been approved for a separate project that also aims to support the infrastructure of vulnerable Palestinians in Area C. This funding will be disbursed in due course. This combined £1.1 million of UK financial assistance supports communities in Area C to remain on their land through improved infrastructure and access to community services, including education and health.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what international aid is reaching those displaced from Afrin to the Shebha region of Syria.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID prioritises reaching the most vulnerable people across Syria, wherever they may be. UK funding is distributed on the basis of need rather than geography, and we are advocating to improve the effectiveness and funding of the international response to the Syria Crisis. DFID does not require its humanitarian partners to breakdown funding or results provided to them by area of control, as this is not the basis on which aid is delivered.
DFID is providing support to vulnerable Syrians, including displaced people, across the North West of Syria. This includes food packages, access to sustainable water, health consultations, education, and livelihoods and agriculture support. We continue to monitor ongoing displacement across the whole of Syria to ensure our programmes are supporting those most in need.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other UN agencies about what can be done for the Palestinians formerly living in Yarmouk, who moved to Babbila, Yalda and Beit Sahem but who now face eviction.
Answered by Lord Bates
Through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Syria Emergency Appeal, the UK continues to support Palestinian refugees in Syria, including those who are displaced following the siege of Yarmouk. The UK remains in dialogue with UNRWA as they assess and develop contingency plans to assist displaced Palestinian refugees, including should they be evicted from Yarmouk, Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Secretary of State for International Development to the Friends of Syria All-Party Parliamentary Group on 28 May, which are the 15 agencies funded by the Department for International Development to implement projects in Syria.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID is now funding 18 agencies implementing projects in Syria. These include UN agencies, international NGOs, and some private sector companies. Aside from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, we have agreed with partners not to disclose publicly their identity because doing so could put their staff at risk.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to discuss with the Palestinian Hydrology Group an equitable basis for sharing the available water in the West Bank.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID works with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support up to 1 million Gazans by providing clean water and rehabilitating sanitation facilities. DFID is also developing a new economic development programme which will help to address the lack of safe water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through a range of activities, including by: enhancing the domestic desalination capacity; increasing capacity to import more water; and reforms and institutional capacity building to Palestinian water agencies. There are no plans at present to discuss an equitable basis for sharing the available water in the West Bank with the Palestinian Hydrology Group.