Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to the Israeli government on reparations for the damage caused by Operation Protective Edge to UN and civilian facilities in Gaza.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID, along with key partner agencies like UNRWA, is still assessing the level of damage to facilities in Gaza. The current priority is to ensure there is progress in the talks in Cairo.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects funded by her Department in Gaza have been (a) damaged and (b) destroyed as a result of Israeli military action during Operation Protective Edge.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Initial reports from the UN Relief and Works Agency indicate that four schools built using DFID funding sustained damage during the conflict. The office of one of our implementing partners was also damaged. Assessments are continuing to establish the extent and the exact cause of the damage.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contribution her Department will offer at the donors' conference on the reconstruction of Gaza.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK pledged to contribute £20 million. We are clear, however, that reconstruction in Gaza will require a durable ceasefire, an agreed approach on security, predictable and sustained access for people and goods in and out of Gaza, and good governance arrangements.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the importance to a sustainable economy in Gaza of the re-opening of (a) Gaza airport and (b) the sea-port.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
An airport or seaport could help to facilitate trade but the extent of their importance would depend on the lifting of restrictions on exports and transfers to Gaza’s natural markets of Israel and the West Bank. We have consistently called on the Government of Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the financial contribution to humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza is spent on the purchase of goods and services from Israel.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID works with trusted and established international partners like the World Food Programme and the UN Relief and Works Agency to deliver our development and humanitarian objectives in Gaza. Our partners make every effort to procure relief items locally in Gaza or the West Bank. However the priority is and must remain to do all we can to get aid to the people who need it most in a timely fashion.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 644W, on infrastructure projects: Jordan Valley, what positive benefits for Palestinians living in Area C have resulted so far from her Department's engagement with Israel.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Two Palestinian-led masterplans covering three areas have been approved following engagement with the Israeli authorities. As a result, these communities are able to plan for and build the homes and infrastructure they need without fear of demolition. We continue to advocate for the approval of more masterplans.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the masterplans funded by her Department in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory have received full approval by the Israeli government; and how long the approval process took in each case.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Only two of the 32 UK-funded masterplans have received full approval so far. The process to gain approval took approximately 27 months for each. We are urging the Government of Israel to accelerate the approval of the other plans in order to allow the development of Palestinian communities in Area C without the risk of demolition.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is covered by approved masterplans.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Palestinian masterplans developed by the International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC) cover approximately 0.4% of Area C. To date, only two of these have been approved.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the construction of the first infrastructure project funded by her Department in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory will commence.
Answered by Alan Duncan
DFID and our partners are currently engaging with the Israeli authorities in order to accelerate the approval of UK-funded masterplans for Palestinian communities in Area C. These Palestinian plans provide the basis for sustainable development in Area C and reduce the risk of demolition. We continue to consider the full range of measures to continue our support for Palestinians in Area C.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional costs resulting from Israeli border, access and planning controls to UK-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Alan Duncan
No such assessment has been possible. UK aid helps to finance the Palestinian Authority's fiscal deficit, which would significantly decrease if Israeli movement and access restrictions in the OPTs were lifted. The World Bank estimates that if Israeli restrictions were lifted in ‘Area C' of the West Bank alone, the Palestinian economy would expand by more than a third and potentially would not require international donor assistance.