Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The UN reports that unemployment is at 45 percent, with youth unemployment at over 60 percent. Some 46 percent of the population live below the US$5.50 poverty line and an estimated 60 percent of households are food insecure. The health service is severely overburdened and reliable access to clean water and electricity remains challenging.
DFID will provide £16m in humanitarian assistance to Gaza in 2019/20. This is supporting the health system, including improved trauma care, and contributing to emergency food aid for around 1.2 million vulnerable people. To help address the underlying causes of the humanitarian situation we are investing to build the capacity of Gaza’s water and energy services and to address barriers to trade. Ultimately, Gaza’s immense challenges can only be resolved with a political solution that delivers peace, stability and the easing of movement and access restrictions.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the potential effect of annexing the Jordan valley on the social and economic well-being of the Palestinian people.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
With France, Germany, Spain and Italy, the UK has made clear publicly our deep concern over recent suggestions that parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories would be annexed.
Such a move would be contrary to international law, damaging to peace efforts and could not pass unchallenged.
The Government has regularly raised these concerns with the Israeli authorities.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to NGOs promoting human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID’s bilateral programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories currently funds human rights NGOs providing legal assistance to Palestinians, through a multi-donor access to justice programme implemented by UN agencies.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is monitoring content that is publicly available on social networking sites using overt monitoring techniques.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The communications division in Department for International Development monitors content relating to departmental business that is publicly available on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. DFID also receives media monitoring services from Precise which incorporate some social media monitoring as part of the package.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in areas where it will benefit the world's poorest people.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries, including through our Energy Africa campaign which is working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who the Government's representative was at the MaMa-COHAFA (Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid) meeting in Brussels on 11 April 2016.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK was represented by officials from the Department for International Development and the UK Representation to the EU.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30955, what the financial and other practical implications are of the UK joining the EU Consortium to support the construction of small-scale infrastructure in Area C.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK has allocated £900,000 for the development of basic social infrastructure in areas which have an outline plan in the approval process, through an EU multi-donor programme. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many structures funded in the Occupied West Bank through the EU Consortium have been demolished by the Israeli government since 1 January 2016.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
None of the structures constructed under the EU multi-donor programme for social and public infrastructure in Area C have been demolished to date.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30873, what EU ECHO-funded structures have been demolished in the Occupied West Bank since 1 January 2016; and what the cost was of each demolished structure.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
140 of the structures demolished in Area C from January to March 2016 were funded by international donors. This includes structures funded by EU ECHO and other Member States. We do not have the data broken down by individual Member States.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which of the (a) 108 structures funded by the EU or its member states in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and demolished by the Israeli authorities in 2015 and (b) 104 such structures demolished in the first six weeks of 2016 have been funded by her Department (i) directly and (ii) indirectly.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not individual instruments within it. The UK’s share on EU expenditure in EU instruments is approximately 14.5%.