Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 549-50W, on Nigeria, whether her Department collects this data on a state-by-state basis.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The 2008 Demographic and Health Survey is conducted by the National Population Commission. The data requested is collected on a national basis rather than state by state.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to investigate allegations that employees of programmes in Bihar State funded by her Department are not receiving their salaries.
Answered by Alan Duncan
DFID is aware of a contractual dispute between a contractor to the Government of Bihar and its sub-contractors. We have looked into this, and are clear that this is now a matter for the Government of Bihar.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the ability of Nigerian federal authorities to provide adequate security for young women in northern states.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
A team of UK experts who will advise and support the Nigerian authorities in its response to the abduction of over 200 school girls touched down in Abuja on the 9th May.
The team is drawn from across Government, including DFID, FCO and the MoD, and will work with the Nigerian authorities leading on the abductions and terrorism in Nigeria. The team will be considering not just the recent incidents but also longer-term counter-terrorism solutions to prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko Haram.
The team will be working closely with their US counterparts and others to coordinate efforts.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of trends in the numbers of forced marriages in northern Nigeria over the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Data from the last, 2008, Demographic and Health Survey suggests that the median age at marriage for girls and women in the north is about 16 years. This compares with the national median age of about 20 years. The 2013, Demographic and Health Survey is expected to be released this summer and will enable us to assess if the situation is changing.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of progress by Nigeria towards meeting Millennium Development Goal 3A on eliminating gender disparity in education.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The ratio of girls to boys in primary education in Nigeria has increased from 0.79 in 1990 to 0.91 in 2010. The regional average for Sub-Saharan Africa was 0.93 in 2011. Whilst some improvements have been made nationally, there remain significant challenges in the north to ensure that all children, girls and boys, have equitable access to a quality basic education.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the proportion of girls under the age of 16 years old in northern states of Nigeria who are in full-time education.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
52% of primary-aged girls and 36% of secondary-aged girls were attending school in northern states of Nigeria in 2011.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether any adjustments have been made to her Department's funding programmes or priorities in Nigeria in response to the mass kidnapping of 14 April 2014.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
We are currently reviewing existing programmes which are active in northern Nigeria and considering with other UK government departments what additional support may be required to support the Government of Nigeria in its response to the abductions in Borno State.
DFID's Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme is already scaling up its work in Borno State. This includes commencing work with a range of local civil society organisations to prevent violence against women and to support survivors of sexual violence, including through the provision of trauma counselling.