Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that humanitarian organisations are able to operate in Aden in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK is monitoring the humanitarian impact being felt in the south of Yemen.
Although Aden port remains operational, we are concerned by a backlog of 15,000 containers waiting to be processed. Fighting across the south of the country has also closed many major overland routes, affecting the onward delivery of commercial goods and humanitarian services.
The UK is engaging closely with UN agencies and NGOs on the ground and continues to call on all parties to the conflict to facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian and commercial access into and throughout Yemen, including for food and fuel, as set out by UN Security Council Resolution 2451 which was drafted by the UK.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the humanitarian situation in Yemen of the recent escalation of violence in Aden.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK is monitoring the humanitarian impact felt in the south of Yemen.
The UN has so far verified 13 civilian deaths and 70 civilian injuries since fighting escalated and has reported over 1,600 families and 1,000 individuals have been displaced to northern governates in August.
Major overland routes in the south have closed and a backlog of 15,000 containers in Aden port waiting to be processed. This is affecting the delivery of commercial goods and humanitarian services, including challenges for UN agencies transferring goods between Aden and the north.
The UK regularly raises humanitarian concerns with all parties to the conflict, calling on them to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451 and facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian and commercial supplies, including through Aden Port.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what provision has been made for infant feeding within the Government's emergency response to Hurricane Irma.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Government is doing all that it can to help those caught in the path of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Government has been responding to the humanitarian needs as they have been identified by our teams on the ground and the local authorities. To date, almost 180 tonnes of DFID relief items have either arrived or been procured in the region, including much needed food, water, shelter kits, and solar lanterns. Recent assessments indicate that markets are opening in the region and we are keen to support these. The UK is funding the Pan American Health Organisation – the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organisation – to help meet the health needs of affected populations, including any specific issues related to infant feeding. DFID will continue to work closely with the local authorities to identify their needs and prioritise our response accordingly.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the emerging famine in Yemen.
Answered by Rory Stewart
In 2016/17 UK Aid has so far supported 462,000 people with food or food vouchers in Yemen, and improved the nutrition of 889,000 women and children. In 2015/16, the UK helped over one million people with emergency humanitarian assistance, including over 730,000 benefitting from food.
The Secretary of State for International Development issued a call to action last week urging the international community to step up their response in Yemen, as one of four potential famines around the world in 2017. We will be making another significant pledge of humanitarian aid for 2017/18, which will include funding to help those most vulnerable to the risk of famine.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to provide additional resources to the dispatched persons camp in Rann, North Eastern Nigeria as a result of the airstrike on that camp.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
In 2016, DFID was the second largest donor to the humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria. We are a major funder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which has been providing life-saving assistance to the displaced people in Rann. This assistance will continue. We are also a major funder of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) who (together with ICRC) provided emergency medical treatment and evacuation to those wounded in the bombing incident of 17 January 2017.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) facilities and (b) other support her Department provides for (i) visitors and (ii) staff for (A) lactating mothers and (B) the expressing of breast milk.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID has two headquarters in the UK. Both buildings have a nursing mothers’ room that can be accessed by staff and visitors. The rooms are appropriately furnished and equipped with a fridge to allow the safe storage of breast milk at the correct temperature.
Our Parent Support Network provides peer support for DFID parents, soon-to-become parents, and those with caring responsibilities for children.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
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 infants can feed in a safe and clean environment in refugee camps.
Answered by Rory Stewart
My Department provides funding to humanitarian organisations that work to promote safe and healthy environments for people in refugee camps across the world. Camps are not the preferred option for refugees and most refugees live outside of camps. DFID supports organisations that work specially with mothers and infants in camp situations including UNICEF, Save the Children and UNHCR.