Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support rebuilding work in the Caribbean after Hurricane Joaquin.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Following a request from the Government of the Bahamas the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Lyme Bay was deployed to provide humanitarian assistance to the worst affected of the Family Islands. During its deployment, working in close coordination with the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency and the Royal Bahamian Defence Force, the RFA Lyme Bay was able to distribute approximately 60 tonnes of emergency stores on behalf of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and to provide evacuation, clean-up, repair and other immediate emergency assistance on Acklins Island, Long Island, Long Cay and Crooked Islands. The RFA Lyme Bay was also able to offer valuable support for the international rapid assessment mission by accommodating on board the 19 person strong CDEMA assessment teams from 6-8 October and facilitating their access to the most affected islands.
Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many development projects funded by the UK Government in East Jerusalem or the West Bank have been demolished or damaged by the Israeli authorities in each of the last five years; and what the replacement value was of each such project.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
No UK-funded development projects have been demolished or damaged by the Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem or the West Bank in the last five years.
Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with its Belgian equivalents on developing a common European response to Israeli demolition of EU-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
No such discussions have taken place. The UK remains deeply concerned about demolitions of Palestinian property, which cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, are harmful to the peace process and, in all but the most limited circumstances, are contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK and the EU are currently engaging with the Israeli authorities in order to accelerate the approval of UK-funded masterplans for Palestinian communities in Area C of the West Bank. These plans provide the basis for sustainable development in Area C and reduce the risk of demolition.
Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what help she plans to give to children in Gaza who require support to deal with trauma related to bombing.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
More than half of DFID’s £3million Rapid Response Facility is supporting the provision of health and psycho-social care for women and children. DFID also supports the UN Relief and Works Agency, who are deploying counsellors to all Gaza shelters to mitigate the impact of psychological trauma sustained by civilians.