Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department was consulted on the decision to host a Myanmar Trade and Investment Conference in London; and what advice she gave on human rights violations in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The visit by a Myanmar Business delegation has been led by the Department for International Trade. They have engaged closely with Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development officials, who have been consistent in ensuring human rights remain at the heart of British policy. We believe British businesses, investing responsibly, can play an important role in creating a more open and fairer economy which will be essential to driving positive change in Burma.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has allocated to provision of secure and properly screened toilets for Rohingya women refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK has been a leading donor in responding to the Rohingya crisis; since August 2017 we have committed £129m. The needs of women and girls are a key consideration of all our programming
This support has already delivered toilets and hygiene facilities for over one million people and emergency latrines for over 280,000 people. This includes the construction of 53 latrines and bathing spaces that are segregated for women and girls and have lights installed for their safety. Recent allocations to partners, including Christian Aid, UNICEF and UNHCR, will support additional latrines, tube wells, water points and bathing cubicles and 14 women friendly spaces with washing and sanitation facilities.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to (a) programmes collecting evidence of gender-based violence by the government of Burma and (b) support victims of that violence.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is clear about the need for the Burmese authorities to end all violence, including sexual violence in Rakhine. Experts from the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative are supporting partner organisations to ensure that evidence gathering meets international standards. Through our humanitarian response to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, DFID is supporting victims of gender-based violence with provision of medical services, counselling and psychological support.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the local capacity available in Iraq to support victims of sexual violence by Daesh.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UN, in consultation with the Government of Iraq, regularly assesses humanitarian needs, including the level of support required for victims of sexual violence that cannot be met locally. The UK engages regularly with the UN on the needs assessment process. For 2018 the UN has allocated $65 million providing specialised protection services to highly vulnerable individuals, including to support victims of sexual violence.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance is being provided to the Government of Bangladesh to meet the physical and psychological needs of refugees who have been raped or sexually assaulted in Myanmar.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware that Gender Based Violence (GBV) has, and is, taking place and is likely under-reported given stigma, fear, limited availability and lack of awareness of services. We have been clear about the need for the Burmese authorities to end all violence, including GBV, in Rakhine and meeting the needs of survivors is a priority for the UK.
The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the Rohingya refugee crisis and we have committed £47 million to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs. The UK is providing funding to a range of NGOs and UN agencies to respond to the needs of Rohingya GBV survivors. Through the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UK is providing counselling and psychological support to over 10,000 women suffering from trauma and over 2,000 survivors as part of a wider response by other donors and agencies on the ground, which is meeting the needs of many more. We are now looking to scale-up our response to GBV with other agencies to meet the needs of survivors.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2016 to Question 907183, what support the Government plans to give to improve investment in renewable energy to benefit people in developing countries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries through on-grid and decentralised renewable energy. DFID has a range of programmes to increase investment.
For example, programmes in Kenya and Tanzania aim to stimulate investment in community scale, renewable energy mini-grids, increasing electricity access for millions of people, and our Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies challenge fund provides seed finance for renewable energy businesses. CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, has committed US$330m of investment to renewable energy supporting five gigawatts of capacity generation.
Through the Energy Africa campaign the UK Government is also working with a range of African countries and businesses to accelerate the expansion of markets in Africa so that people can buy affordable solar energy systems.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that women refugees in Syria and Iraq have access to adequate sanitary protection; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The humanitarian crises in Syria and Iraq have placed many women and girls at risk of exploitation and insecurity. In both countries, DFID continues to work with the UN, NGOs and international community to ensure women’s rights are protected.
The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion in response to the Syria crisis since 2011. Of this, DFID has provided £5 million to UNFPA inside Syria. As part of this assistance UNFPA distribute hygiene or “dignity” kits to preserve and promote the hygiene and dignity of displaced women and adolescent girls as well as men, and to allow their social integration while away from home. These include sanitary napkins, underwear, and a range of practical personal hygiene items. With UK support, UNFPA alone distributed 50,900 dignity kits inside Syria in 2015. UNFPA and other partners are also improving access to reproductive health services inside Syria.
The UK has committed £79.5 million of humanitarian assistance to Iraq since summer 2014. This includes cash assistance for vulnerable displaced Iraqis, allowing them to prioritise what they need most. Through the UN- managed Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, we fund a number of projects meeting the most urgent needs of displaced Iraqis including emergency healthcare, water and sanitation, and protection services for women and girls. Our partners consider gender related differences in needs in all DFID funded projects.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing for Yazidi women who have been enslaved by Daesh; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. This assistance is reaching hundreds of thousands of people across Iraq, including the most vulnerable groups, such as Yazidis. All UK-funded aid is distributed on the basis of need, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity.
The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund which, amongst other projects, has funded specialist protection and rehabilitation for escapees of Daesh terror in Iraq.