Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is providing humanitarian assistance to Eastern Ghouta in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta (as well as other hard-to-reach and besieged areas) providing life-saving food, protection, and healthcare including routine immunisation services against infectious diseases such as polio and measles. However, humanitarian access remains severely constrained.
The UK continues to demand full and sustained humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta at the UN and at every opportunity, and we have called on all parties to take all feasible measures to protect civilians, and allow emergency medical evacuations.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many aid air-drops the UK has made in besieged areas in Syria since the start of the conflict.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Aid delivered by road by trusted humanitarian partners (including the UN) is by far the most effective way to meet needs in Syria and to ensure that it reaches those most in need. Airdrops are high risk and not capable of delivering many of the types of aid on a scale that could meet key needs (e.g. safe drinking water, shelter, health support). Crucially, the consent is needed of those who control the airspace and those on the ground that could threaten aircraft. There is nothing to suggest that the Assad regime would provide such consent if it remained intent on blocking land access.
The UK continues to demand full and sustained humanitarian access to besieged locations across Syria at the UN and at every opportunity, and we have called on all parties to take all feasible measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with UN bodies on aid air-drops to besieged areas of Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Aid delivered by road by trusted humanitarian partners (including the UN) is by far the most effective way to meet needs in Syria and to ensure that it reaches those most in need. Airdrops are high risk and not capable of delivering many of the types of aid on a scale that could meet key needs (e.g. safe drinking water, shelter, health support). Crucially, the consent is needed of those who control the airspace and those on the ground that could threaten aircraft. There is nothing to suggest that the Assad regime would provide such consent if it remained intent on blocking land access.
The UK continues to demand full and sustained humanitarian access to besieged locations across Syria at the UN and at every opportunity, and we have called on all parties to take all feasible measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 resources from the foreign aid budget that will be allocated to projects in Burma in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018; and if she will list those projects.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID’s programme in Burma has an allocated budget of £94 million for financial year 2017/18 and £100 million for financial year 2018/19. Information on individual projects is available on the DFID Development Tracker (www.devtracker.dfid.gov.uk).
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the foreign aid budget was allocated to projects in Burma in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016; and if she will list those projects.
Answered by Alistair Burt
In financial year 2015/16 DFID Burma’s programme totalled £100 million and in 2016/17 it was £99 million. Information on individual projects is available on the DFID Development Tracker (www.devtracker.dfid.gov.uk).
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which of her Department's online services are available in the Welsh language only on request.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID follows government guidance on providing Welsh language content on request.