Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to UNRWA in response to its emergency appeal for 2019.
Answered by Alistair Burt
UNRWA has two 2019 emergency appeals for the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Regional Syria Crisis. The UK Government has multi-year commitments to support UNRWA’s Regional Syria Emergency Appeal and UNRWA’s core programme budget. We plan to provide £13m to the Regional Syria Emergency Appeal in 2019 and we also intend to provide £33.5m to UNRWA’s core programme budget next financial year. The UK is a leading donor to UNRWA and I am proud to confirm that we plan to provide up to £80m to UNRWA overall over the next two years.
As one example of the impact UK Aid will have, our support to UNRWA’s Regional Syria Appeal will help provide life-saving assistance for the 438,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria, 95% of whom need sustained humanitarian assistance, and 17,700 Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria seeking shelter in Jordan.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to her counterpart in the US administration on its decision to maintain its reduction to UNRWA funds.
Answered by Alistair Burt
As the Minister responsible for the Middle East, I raised the US withdrawal of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) with the US President’s Middle East Envoy, Jason Greenblatt, on 28 September 2018.
The Secretary of State has not spoken with her counterpart in the US administration about the decision to maintain a withdrawal of funding from UNRWA, but recently discussed this with Nita Lowey, Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, on March 7th 2019. The Secretary of State raised her concerns about the impact of funding cuts to UNRWA on the delivery of essential services to Palestinian refugees, including to the provision of healthcare and education.
The UK has been clear that we are concerned about the impact of US cuts to UNRWA on regional stability and services to Palestinian refugees. UK officials continue to engage with the US on this matter, and we will continue to work with UNRWA and other donors to help place the Agency on a more secure financial footing.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of international aid funding allocated to properties at Khirbet al-Halawah that were demolished by Israeli forces; what (a) discussions she has had with her counterparts in the EU and (b) representations she has made to the Israeli Government on those demolitions; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), nine structures have been demolished in Khirbet al-Halawah so far in 2018, of which four were donor funded. We have not made an estimate of the value of international aid allocated to these structures. No structures directly funded by the UK in the West Bank in recent years have been demolished. Whilst we have not raised these specific demolitions with counterparts in the European Union or the Government of Israel, we continue to raise concerns with the Israeli authorities about demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes in general, which cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, calls into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution, and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
The UK supports Palestinian communities at risk of forcible transfer in Area C of the West Bank through a legal aid programme, which helps residents challenge decisions in the Israeli legal system. Additionally, we are supporting Palestinian development in Area C and helping nearly 500 Palestinian families to remain on their land through improving infrastructure and enabling access to education and health services.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the 2018-19 Main Estimates, how much funding her Department has allocated to prepare for the UK to leave the EU.
Answered by Alistair Burt
HM Treasury has already allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This includes the £1.5 billion of additional funding HM Treasury announced at Autumn Budget 2017 for 2018/19. A full breakdown of how this was allocated to departments can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). This money will be paid out in Supplementary Estimates 18/19 later this financial year.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that water, sanitation and hygene services are integrated into its gender and women’s empowerment programmes and its strategic vision for women and girls.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID recognises that girls and women may be particularly disadvantaged when adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities are not available. That is why we promote through our policies and programmes a holistic approach which integrates WASH with other development services such as education and health. For example, our Girls’ Education Challenge programme includes activities to improve access to water and sanitation. As part of our upcoming renewed Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, we will intensify action to promote gender equality in water and sanitation programmes. This will help to ensure that girls’ and women’s rights to access water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are realised and that they benefit from security and privacy, for example to meet their menstrual hygiene needs.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2016 to Question 53572, whether the UK made a financial contribution to the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office (ECHO) in respect of the 180 structures funded by the ECHO and demolished by the Israeli government since 2009.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK’s financing share of European Union (EU) expenditure varies year on year but has been approximately 15%. The UK has made no further bilateral contribution to the programme in question.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2016 to Question 53572, what discussions she has had with the European Commission on compensation from Israel for the 180 structures funded by the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office that have been demolished by the Israeli government.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK is in regular discussion with the European Commission and other European Union (EU) Member States on the issue of compensation. To date the EU has not asked for compensation for EU-funded infrastructure. No decision has yet been made as to whether to claim compensation in the future.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2016 to Question 907180, on occupied territories: demolition, how many structures built with some financial assistance from the UK have been demolished by the Israeli government; and how much UK funding was provided for those structures.
Answered by Rory Stewart
As the answer to Question 907180 states, no structures directly funded by the UK in recent years have been demolished. Since 2009 approximately 180 structures funded by the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office (ECHO) have been demolished or confiscated. The UK regularly raises its concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to seek redress for the demolition by the government of Israel of structures in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which were built with assistance from the UK.
Answered by Rory Stewart
No structures directly funded by the UK in recent years have been demolished. The UK regularly raises demolitions with the government of Israel.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is successful in eradicating polio by 2020.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Her Majesty’s Government is fully committed to global polio eradication. The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and is providing £300 million for 2013 to 2019. The UK, as the largest donor to Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance, is supporting the rapid global introduction of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine, a key step in the final stages of eradication.
DFID also plays a key role in sustaining global political commitment and in making sure that every penny we, or others, invest in polio is spent well. We actively participate on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Oversight Board and the Finance and Accountability Committee, ensuring a strong focus on results and delivering value for money. During the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Her Majesty’s Government re-affirmed our unwavering commitment to fighting polio encouraging others to join us in the final push towards global polio eradication.