Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office plans to maintain the expertise of staff relating to (a) development projects, (b) climate change emergencies and (b) other key policy issues of her Department after the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with her Department.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Merging the departments will bring together the best of what we do in aid and diplomacy, and create new opportunities for staff. The ambition, vision and expertise of DFID and FCO staff will be at the heart of the new department – taking forward the work of UK aid, which will remain central to our mission.
We will continue to look at how our aid budget can be spent most effectively in our national interest, including through the Integrated Review – which will inform the priorities of the new Department.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what monitoring will be putin place after the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that the 0.7% of UK GDP pledged for overseas development aid is used for that purpose and not for security and diplomatic aims.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Our commitment to spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law and the UK continues to abide by the OECD DAC rules for aid. All UK official development assistance (ODA) must meet OECD DAC criteria, and have the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its primary purpose. We will continue to look at how this money can be spent most effectively, taking into account our national interest, including through the Integrated Review – which will inform the priorities of the new Department.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many former hon. Members hold (a) paid and (b) unpaid roles within her Department as of 17 July 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We do not hold a central record of all employees, either paid or unpaid, who have previously been Members of Parliament. As of the 17th July, we had 4140 individuals undertaking roles for DFID. A manual check on hard copy files would be required, which would take a significant and disproportionate amount of time.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on securing renewable energy in developing countries in each year since 2009.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Estimated bilateral spend each year since 2010 on programmes that help develop renewable energy was:
Year | Net ODA (£) |
2010/11 | 421,185 |
2011/12 | 5,753,369 |
2012/13 | 18,286,309 |
2013/14 | 38,969,172 |
2014/15 | 116,904,503 |
2015/16 | 72,134,609 |
Total | 252,469,1487 |
This does not capture relevant spend through multilateral funds, including the UK’s contributions to Multilateral Development Banks and climate specific funds such as the Climate Investment Funds, where there are significant renewable energy components.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding has been provided to the (a) Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga, (b) Kurdish government in Northern Syria and (c) Yazidi community to (i) gather evidence of alleged acts of genocide and (ii) support displaced persons in refugee camps.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Since June 2014, DFID has committed £129.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable internally displaced people in Iraq, including Yezidis and those living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. To date, the UK has pledged over £2.3 billion in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. Our support is reaching vulnerable and displaced Syrians, including those living in areas controlled by Kurdish groups.
On 21 July the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will lead a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes. In Iraq, the Foreign Office has funded projects to support the documentation of Daesh crimes and preservation of evidence. In Syria, UK funding supports a range of NGO partners to compile case files of evidence of atrocities approximating to International Criminal Court (ICC) standards.
DFID has not provided funding to the Peshmerga, or to the governing authorities in Kurdish-dominated parts of Syria.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which countries were invited to the Syria Donors Conference; and which of those countries she expects to attend.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The Prime Minister is co-hosting the conference on “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” along with the Amir of Kuwait, the Federal German Chancellor, the Prime Minister of Norway and the United Nations Secretary-General.
Over 70 countries have been invited to the conference to raise significant new humanitarian and development funding, and address the longer-term needs of those affected by the Syria crisis. This includes current and potential donors as well as countries hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, Representatives from Non-Government Organisations and the private sector. We are still receiving responses but expect strong attendance at the highest levels.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps UK is taking to support the education of Syrian refugees in (a) Lebanon, (b) Jordan, (c) Iraq and (d) Turkey.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI) is an umbrella initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through long term negative impacts on psychological wellbeing and lack of access to quality education. My Right Honourable Friend The Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, launched the initiative in 2013, working with other donors, UN agencies, NGOs and governments in the region.
To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, this allocation has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees and we are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop ambitious targets on education for the Syria London Conference on 04 February to ensure Syrian children in the region have access to quality education and the necessary psychosocial support they need.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which trades union groups have received (a) funding and (b) other support from her Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has funded the following trade union groups in the last five years: