Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to seek compensation for buildings and equipment demolished by Israel in the Occupied Palestine Territories which were funded by UK aid.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are gravely concerned by the continued demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities. No structures directly funded by the UK in recent years have been demolished. A number of structures funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) have been demolished in recent years. The UK’s financing share of EU expenditure varies year on year but has been approximately 15%. The UK regularly raises demolitions with the Government of Israel.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government provides Official Development Assistance to the Israeli Defence Force relief mission in the Golan Heights.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Government does not provide Official Development Assistance to the Israeli Defence Force relief mission in the Golan Heights.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian funding appeal to support people in Gaza.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK will provide £1.9 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Gaza to address critical water, sanitation and hygiene needs, benefitting approximately 1 million people. UNICEF performs a unique role in supporting vulnerable people in the most complex settings and is committed to taking forwards the UK’s ambitious UN reform agenda.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide funding and support to people in Gaza to restore full electricity supply from domestic and international sources.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We remain concerned about the situation in Gaza and continue to monitor it closely. The UK’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv and our Consul-General in Jerusalem have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority (PA) respectively. We have encouraged the PA to ensure their policy in Gaza does not unnecessarily impact the civilian population. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution. The UK is a long-term supporter of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza including basic health care, and we are supporting humanitarian access, enabling reconstruction efforts and investing in job creation.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide funding and support to healthcare centres in Gaza which are operating without electricity or fuel for backup generators.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and continue to monitor it closely, including the effect electricity shortages are having on the health sector. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution. The UK is a long-term supporter of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza including basic health care.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide funding and support to improve the ageing water and sanitation infrastructure of the Gaza strip.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Urgent improvements to infrastructure in Gaza are essential to improve living conditions. DFID has provided technical assistance for feasibility studies for the Gaza desalinisation plant which will improve water security, and has supported the development of Gazan irrigation systems through the rehabilitation of water infrastructure. The UK is a shareholder in a number of major international financial institutions, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, which support infrastructure projects across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the OPTs with the Israeli authorities to ensure fair distribution of water across the OPTs.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many times she has attended public meetings of the International Development Committee since her appointment.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Ministerial attendance at public meetings of the International Development Committee is a matter of public record. Details can be found online at http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/international-development-committee/formal-minutes/
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to paragraph 1.59 of the Budget 2016, from which projects and programmes the £650 million reduction in Official Development Assistance will come.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The £650 million reduction to the ODA budget will be from DFID’s baseline budget. DFID’s baseline budget includes transfers to other government departments and funds. Decisions on the allocation of reductions will be taken on the basis of the impact of expenditure and strategic fit with government objectives.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on how many buildings the construction of which was funded by the (a) UK and (b) EU there are in the (i) Gaza Strip and (ii) other Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID does not hold information on how many EU funded buildings there are in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPTs). There are 13 UK funded schools in Gaza. Currently the UK does not directly fund the construction of buildings in the West Bank. However, we are joining the EU Consortium to support the construction of small-scale infrastructure in Area C.