Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey to identify the level of support that is needed to deal with any expected influx of refugees to Turkey from Idlib province; and what support they intend to provide as a result of such discussions.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK maintains a regular dialogue – at all levels – with the Turkish authorities on a range on humanitarian issues, including contingency planning for large scale movements of people from Idlib and surrounding areas, as well as support for those currently located in the Northwest Syria.
The UK is supporting refugees and host communities in Turkey through EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT). The FRIT is supporting refugees and host communities by building schools, providing health services and social welfare payments for the most vulnerable refugees, to alleviate pressure on Turkish communities hosting refugees. The UK committed €328 million to the FRIT in 2016, as well as an additional €155 million in 2018.
The UK is already supporting those living in Northwest Syria, and has boosted this support in preparation for a regime offensive in the region. On 13 September, DFID announced additional aid funding of up to £42 million for Northern Syria. This money will help to provide Syrians affected by a regime military offensive with shelter, clean water and sanitation, mental health services, and support of health workers and facilities.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries they are prioritising for anti-corruption aid between 2018 and 2020.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID’s anti-corruption country strategies support the five DFID partner countries who attended the London Anti-Corruption Summit in 2016 (Afghanistan, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania) to deliver on their commitments. This is in addition to work with international partners to improve global standards and transparency, and strengthen international architecture to deter corruption and track stolen assets so they can be returned to developing countries.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the Department for International Development's (DfID) budget was spent on anti-corruption support for developing countries in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18; and what are those figures as a proportion of DfID's total budget for each of those years.
Answered by Lord Bates
The amount and proportion of Official Development Assistance spent by DFID on anti-corruption1 activities in calendar years 2015 and 2016 are given in the table below:
Table – DFID Net ODA on anti-corruption activities1
| 2015 | 2016 | |||
| £m | % of total DFID ODA | £m | % of total DFID ODA | |
Total DFID Net ODA on anti-corruption activities | 654 | 6.7% | 570 | 5.8% | |
Of which |
|
|
|
| |
Bilateral | 444 | 4.5% | 379 | 3.8% | |
Multilateral | 210 | 2.1% | 191 | 1.9% | |
Total DFID Net ODA | 9,772 | 100.0% | 9,871 | 100.0% | |
In line with the international definitions, ODA is collected on a calendar year basis. The table reflects the latest published data and figures for 2017 UK ODA spending will be published in autumn 2018.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have received anti-corruption support funded by the UK since 2015.
Answered by Lord Bates
Countries that have received UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) for anti-corruption support1 in 2015 and 2016 are listed below:
Country | UK ODA contributor involved | Country | UK ODA contributor involved | Country | UK ODA contributor involved |
Afghanistan | CSSF, DFID and FCO | India | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund | Peru | FCO |
Albania | FCO | Indonesia | BEIS, DFID, Prosperity Fund and FCO | Philippines | FCO and Prosperity Fund |
Algeria | FCO | Iraq | FCO | Rwanda | DFID and HMRC |
Angola | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Jamaica | CSSF, DFID and FCO | Senegal | FCO |
Argentina | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Jordan | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund | Serbia | CSSF and FCO |
Armenia | CSSF and FCO | Kenya | DFID, FCO and HMRC | Seychelles | FCO |
Bangladesh | DFID | Korea, Dem. Rep. | FCO | Sierra Leone | DFID, FCO and HMRC |
Belize | FCO | Kosovo | CSSF and FCO | Somalia | CSSF and DFID |
Bolivia | FCO | Kyrgyz Republic | DFID and FCO | South Africa | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | CSSF and FCO | Laos | FCO | South Sudan | DFID |
Brazil | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Lebanon | DFID | Sri Lanka | FCO |
Burma | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund | Lesotho | HMRC | St. Helena | DFID |
Cameroon | FCO | Liberia | DFID | Sudan | DFID and FCO |
Chile | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Madagascar | FCO | Syria | FCO |
China | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Malawi | DFID, HMRC and Scot Gov | Tajikistan | DFID |
Colombia | CSSF, FCO and Prosperity Fund | Malaysia | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Tanzania | DFID and HMRC |
Congo, Dem. Rep. | DFID | Mauritius | FCO | Thailand | FCO and Prosperity Fund |
Costa Rica | FCO | Mexico | FCO and Prosperity Fund | Tunisia | FCO |
Cote d'Ivoire | FCO | Moldova | DFID and FCO | Turkey | FCO and Prosperity Fund |
Dominican Republic | CSSF | Mongolia | FCO | Uganda | Defra, DFID and HMRC |
Egypt | BEIS, DFID and FCO | Montenegro | FCO | Ukraine | CSSF, DFID, FCO and HMRC |
Ethiopia | DFID, FCO and HMRC | Montserrat | DFID and FCO | Uruguay | FCO |
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | FCO | Morocco | FCO | Uzbekistan | FCO |
Gambia | FCO | Mozambique | DFID | Vietnam | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund |
Ghana | DFID, FCO and HMRC | Namibia | FCO | West Bank & Gaza Strip | DFID |
Guatemala | FCO | Nepal | DFID | Yemen | DFID |
Guinea | FCO | Nigeria | DFID, FCO and Prosperity Fund | Zambia | DFID |
Guyana | DFID and FCO | Pakistan | CSSF, DFID, FCO and HMRC | Zimbabwe | DFID |
Honduras | FCO | Panama | FCO |
|
|
1. Anti-corruption activities cover support to anti-corruption organisations and institutions, public finance management, public sector policy and management, tax and administrative support, mining policy and administrative management, and sub-national government. Some projects cover multiple countries; ODA data categorises these as “Developing Country, unspecified” or as regional spend.
UK ODA data for calendar year 2017 will be published in autumn 2018.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to the government of Iraq to allow the safe return of refugees from neighbouring host countries.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK has committed over £30million to help stabilise liberated areas in Iraq by delivering basic services like water and electricity, rebuilding livelihoods, removing mines and supporting community reconciliation. This will contribute to creating the right conditions for refugees and internally displaced people from across the region to safely return to their areas of origin.
The UK is also financially supporting Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey in meeting the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable refugees from across the region, including from Iraq, to alleviate pressure on local communities hosting refugees. The UK is committed to ensuring that any refugee returns take place voluntarily in safety and dignity, in line with international law. We work closely with UNHCR, the official agency mandated to lead discussions with Government, and advocate strongly in refugee host countries on this basis. UNHCR estimate that the total registered Iraqi refugee population is currently 152,976 in Turkey; 17,411 in Lebanon and 60,000 in Jordan.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what dialogue they are holding with the governments of (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, and (3) Turkey, to ascertain the number of Iraqi refugees hosted by those countries who wish to return to Iraq, and the obstacles stopping those refugees from so doing.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK has committed over £30million to help stabilise liberated areas in Iraq by delivering basic services like water and electricity, rebuilding livelihoods, removing mines and supporting community reconciliation. This will contribute to creating the right conditions for refugees and internally displaced people from across the region to safely return to their areas of origin.
The UK is also financially supporting Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey in meeting the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable refugees from across the region, including from Iraq, to alleviate pressure on local communities hosting refugees. The UK is committed to ensuring that any refugee returns take place voluntarily in safety and dignity, in line with international law. We work closely with UNHCR, the official agency mandated to lead discussions with Government, and advocate strongly in refugee host countries on this basis. UNHCR estimate that the total registered Iraqi refugee population is currently 152,976 in Turkey; 17,411 in Lebanon and 60,000 in Jordan.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimate of the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey (1) in refugee camps, and (2) outside refugee camps.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that 3.3 million Syrian refugees are currently registered in Turkey. Over 90% of Syrian refugees in Turkey live outside refugee camps in host communities.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid has been given to (1) NGOs, and (2) the government of Turkey, to support Syrian and Iraqi refugees in (a) Turkish refugee camps, and (b) communities outside refugee camps.
Answered by Lord Bates
In 2016, DFID committed €328 million to the €3 billion EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT). The UK also contributes to the FRIT via ongoing EU budget payments.
The FRIT is supporting refugees including Syrians and Iraqis by building schools, providing health services and social welfare payments for the most vulnerable refugees, and providing vital municipal infrastructure such as waste management and water treatment facilities to alleviate pressure on Turkish communities hosting refugees.
The EU works with partners including NGOs, UN agencies and International Financial Institutions to deliver support to refugees and host communities under the FRIT. The Government of Turkey also receive grants for education, health and migration management.
As over 90% of refugees in Turkey live outside refugee camps, most of the FRIT’s assistance is targeted to refugees living in host communities.
Complementing the assistance through the FRIT, the UK also has a number of small bilateral migration and refugee-related projects. These are primarily building up the capacity of Turkish authorities and NGOs to manage the challenges of integrating refugees into communities across Turkey.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they and their international partners are taking to support the return of displaced individuals in Iraq to their home communities, if they wish to return.
Answered by Lord Bates
The majority of UK funding to Iraq is in the form of immediate humanitarian assistance aimed at saving lives. DFID humanitarian assistance is delivered according to need and not conditional on whether an individual intends to return home or remain in a host community. DFID support through cash assistance to vulnerable families, support to health services, water, sanitation, or the return of documentation - may all contribute to an environment conducive to return, but it would be not be possible to specify a percentage given the unique circumstances for the people involved.
In 2017/18 the UK has allocated £40 million in humanitarian assistance to displaced individuals. In addition to this the UK is contributing over £30 million through our Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) this financial year. This includes £5.68 million to the UN Fund for Immediate Stabilisation (FFS) which focusses on encouraging returns by rehabilitating critical infrastructure, regenerating services such as water and electricity and providing livelihood opportunities in newly liberated areas.
Most major international agencies including the EU provide funding via the UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan. The 2017 appeal is for $984m to respond to urgent needs in Iraq and is 64% funded. The plan covers a range of sectors that may encourage solutions such as return, although is similarly not conditional on return. DFID continues to work with the government of Iraq and humanitarian actors to ensure that robust and coordinated response planning is in place going into 2018, including for activities that support displaced people to return home.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much UK aid being provided to Iraq in 2017–18 is focussed on supporting the return of displaced individuals to their home communities, if they wish to return; what proportion that represents of the total annual aid provided to Iraq; and what estimate they have made of the relative proportions provided through (1) the EU, (2) the UN, and (3) other international agencies.
Answered by Lord Bates
The majority of UK funding to Iraq is in the form of immediate humanitarian assistance aimed at saving lives. DFID humanitarian assistance is delivered according to need and not conditional on whether an individual intends to return home or remain in a host community. DFID support through cash assistance to vulnerable families, support to health services, water, sanitation, or the return of documentation - may all contribute to an environment conducive to return, but it would be not be possible to specify a percentage given the unique circumstances for the people involved.
In 2017/18 the UK has allocated £40 million in humanitarian assistance to displaced individuals. In addition to this the UK is contributing over £30 million through our Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) this financial year. This includes £5.68 million to the UN Fund for Immediate Stabilisation (FFS) which focusses on encouraging returns by rehabilitating critical infrastructure, regenerating services such as water and electricity and providing livelihood opportunities in newly liberated areas.
Most major international agencies including the EU provide funding via the UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan. The 2017 appeal is for $984m to respond to urgent needs in Iraq and is 64% funded. The plan covers a range of sectors that may encourage solutions such as return, although is similarly not conditional on return. DFID continues to work with the government of Iraq and humanitarian actors to ensure that robust and coordinated response planning is in place going into 2018, including for activities that support displaced people to return home.