Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for policies of Save the Children’s report entitled Trapped: The impact of 15 years of blockade on the mental health of Gaza’s children, published 15th June 2022.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We are aware of Save the Children's report into the wellbeing of Gazan children. The UK continues to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza's reconstruction and economic recovery. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. In 2021, the UK provided £2 million to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund to help them provide child-sensitive grants to vulnerable households in Gaza reaching 4,311 boys and girls. This support enabled families to meet the essential needs of their children, with the majority of the support spent on food, education, and healthcare. Through our annual support to United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the UK supports their Mental Health and Psychosocial Support interventions, especially for children, which included summer school activities targeting 98,595 children (52,236 girls and 46,359 boys) in Gaza in 2021.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her Israeli counterpart on steps toward lifting the 15-year blockade of Gaza.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK continues to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza's reconstruction and economic recovery. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Discrimination Against Persons with Leprosy at the UN Human Rights Council 50th Session in June 2022, what steps her Department plans to take to support leprosy-endemic countries in protecting, promoting and fulfilling the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for persons affected by that disease.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Since January 2021, the UK has invested over £42 million in delivery of services to prevent and treat NTDs, and in strengthening of health systems to provide these essential services. Since January 2021, the UK has also invested £15.6 million in research on NTDs. This has supported research on the treatment and prevention of NTDs including leprosy and female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). These investments have contributed to progress on NTDs and to reducing the burden of these diseases on women and girls.
The UK will continue to invest in research into NTDs and also continue to support countries to strengthen their health systems. This supports countries to ensure that essential services, including those for leprosy and other NTD prevention and treatment, are integrated and accessible to all without discrimination. Additionally, our support to evidenced-based packages of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and ensuring the realisation of rights, supports improving access to a range of health services for women and girls.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the impact of neglected tropical diseases on (a) health, (b) education and (c) employment opportunities for women and girls.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Since January 2021, the UK has invested over £42 million in delivery of services to prevent and treat NTDs, and in strengthening of health systems to provide these essential services. Since January 2021, the UK has also invested £15.6 million in research on NTDs. This has supported research on the treatment and prevention of NTDs including leprosy and female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). These investments have contributed to progress on NTDs and to reducing the burden of these diseases on women and girls.
The UK will continue to invest in research into NTDs and also continue to support countries to strengthen their health systems. This supports countries to ensure that essential services, including those for leprosy and other NTD prevention and treatment, are integrated and accessible to all without discrimination. Additionally, our support to evidenced-based packages of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and ensuring the realisation of rights, supports improving access to a range of health services for women and girls.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK Government (a) has signed or (b) plans to sign the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases; and what steps the Government is taking to tackle those diseases in the context of that declaration.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The United Kingdom was pleased to endorse the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) at its launch, to support continued progress on delivery of the WHO 2030 road map on NTDs.
In support of the Kigali Declaration, the FCDO will continue to invest in research and innovation in new drugs and diagnostics for diseases of poverty, including NTDs, through world-leading Product Development Partnerships (highly successful public-private partnerships for developing health technologies such as vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics) and other research organisations.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous rights expert Bruno Pereira, if she will call on her Brazilian counterpart to urgently scale up the emergency search operation in cooperation with local indigenous organisations.
Answered by Vicky Ford
My thoughts are with the families of Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira during this difficult time. On the 9th June I raised Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira's disappearance with the Brazilian Minister of Justice and Public Security at the Summit of the Americas, who assured us that the Brazilian authorities are doing all that can be done in air, boats and land. Officials at the British Embassy in Brazil continue to be in regular and close contact with the Brazilian authorities at the most senior levels for updates on the Brazilian search operation. We understand the remote location presents considerable logistical challenges and have requested the Brazilian Government do all that they can to support the investigation. I am extremely thankful and appreciative of their search and rescue effort to date.
Consular officials in Sao Paulo and London are providing support to Mr Phillips' family in Brazil and the UK.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she or (b) her officials have made representations to her Brazilian counterpart on scaling up the emergency search operation for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, following their disappearance in the Javari Valley on 5 June 2022, in cooperation with local indigenous organisations.
Answered by Vicky Ford
My thoughts are with the families of Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira during this difficult time. On the 9th June I raised Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira's disappearance with the Brazilian Minister of Justice and Public Security at the Summit of the Americas, who assured us that the Brazilian authorities are doing all that can be done in air, boats and land. Officials at the British Embassy in Brazil continue to be in regular and close contact with the Brazilian authorities at the most senior levels for updates on the Brazilian search operation. We understand the remote location presents considerable logistical challenges and have requested the Brazilian Government do all that they can to support the investigation. I am extremely thankful and appreciative of their search and rescue effort to date.
Consular officials in Sao Paulo and London are providing support to Mr Phillips' family in Brazil and the UK.