Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What steps she is taking to help ensure that UK trade agreements promote (a) fair trade and (b) the provision of affordable medicines.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is both a champion of free trade and a friend to developing countries. Now that we have left the EU, the UK will work for trade deals that are free and fair for developing countries. We are seeking to continue and even enhance our previous trade agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Access to medicines is vital, so we are continuing our commitment to the Doha Declaration on Public Health to help developing countries get the supplies they need.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion of the UK’s international climate finance is paid through the (a) European Commission budget and (b) European Development Fund.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
None of the UK’s £5.8 billion international climate finance is provided through the European Commission budget or European Development Fund.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to help victims of Yemen’s cholera epidemic.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is deeply concerned about the rise in cholera in Yemen this year, with a suspected 280,000 cases recorded between January and April 2019. In response, the UK has disbursed £18 million last month to help UN agencies meet their most urgent needs such as chlorination of water supply systems, distributing hygiene kits and deploying expert teams to areas most at risk.
To help prepare for outbreaks of cholera, the UK led a joint Met Office, NASA and US scientist team to accurately predict where the disease will spread to in Yemen. We contributed 25% towards the cost of cholera vaccination campaigns which have vaccinated over 2 million people in both Houthi and Government of Yemen controlled areas to date.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that international humanitarian funds pledged to Yemen reach their intended recipients.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We are acutely aware of the difficult operating environment humanitarian organisations face delivering life-saving assistance in Yemen. As a result we only channel support through organisations with a strong record of delivering and monitoring assistance, such as UN agencies and international NGOs.
To identify the most vulnerable, UN agencies use a range of tools such as household level assessments. Some, like the World Food Programme, use technology such as biometric verification to confirm that those most in need are being reached.
Through UK diplomatic channels we press authorities to facilitate aid delivery. This can include getting visas issued or travel permission granted for certain areas.
Earlier this year the UK brought together heads of UN agencies and lead donors to determine how to better coordinate on the ground to deliver the right interventions at the right time to the most vulnerable. The Humanitarian Coordinator is holding UN agencies to account to deliver this.