Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department provides support to the National Association of Cooperative Credit Unions of Gambia.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We do not directly support the National Association of Cooperative Credit Unions of Gambia and nor are we aware of any indirect support via our partners.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level of humanitarian need in the Chimanimani area of Zimbabwe following Cyclone Idai.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
WFP estimate that 114,000 people in Chimanimani will need urgent food assistance as a direct result of the cyclone. The UK is the largest donor to the Cyclone Idai response having made up to £22 million available. In Zimbabwe we are funding essential health supplies, hygiene kits and child protection support. The UK will continue to monitor the situation very closely and stands ready to provide further assistance if needed.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to efforts to reopen roads and bridges between (a) Bulawayo, (b) Harare, and (c) the Chimanimani area of Zimbabwe following Cyclone Idai.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Efforts to reopen roads and bridges in Zimbabwe are being led by the Zimbabwean military with the support of private sector firms. The UK’s focus in Zimbabwe is on providing essential health supplies, hygiene kits and child protection support. The UK will continue to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to provide further support.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 8 December 2017 to Question 117071, on Bangladesh: Rohingya, what assessment he has made of whether rationing by household creates an incentive for child marriage and child sexual exploitation in refugee camps.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Rohingya Emergency Vulnerability Assessment was conducted in December 2017 by the World Food Programme (WFP). This found households receiving food rationing are much less likely to apply negative coping strategies, including child marriage or sexual exploitation, than those who are not. DFID has no evidence to suggest this assessment is incorrect.
To reduce the risk of child marriage, sexual exploitation and abuse taking place, DFID is supporting awareness-raising, increased outreach, feedback channels, and complaints-handling procedures. Through UNFPA, Oxfam and UNICEF the UK is scaling-up women and child friendly spaces within the camps, where women and children can access support from case workers who can help them access humanitarian aid.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will assess the potential effect of planned demolitions in the West Bank village of Susiya on (a) the welfare and rights of residents and (b) the human and economic development of Palestinian people living in Area C of the occupied West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I discussed the threat of forcible transfer with the Susiya Bedouin community during my visit there in August 2017.The Israeli authorities have stated their plan to imminently demolish around a third of structures in Susiya, including two clinics, which would stand to affect all residents. Demolitions of Palestinian homes and buildings cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, are harmful to the peace process and, in most circumstances, are contrary to international humanitarian law. A clear, transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C is needed to prevent continued demolitions. According to the World Bank, the removal of the Israeli restrictions on Area C, including restrictions on construction, could result in the West Bank economy being 33% larger by 2025 than it would otherwise be. Officials have repeatedly raised our concerns about proposed demolitions in Susiya with Israeli ministers, including in a joint demarche with European partners on 2 November 2017.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the allocation of UN World Food Programme rations by household on the (a) human rights and (b) welfare of refugee Rohingya women and girls in Bangladesh.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Our assessment of UN World Food Programme rations in Bangladesh is that they provide essential life-saving support to refugee households. Women, girls and other vulnerable groups are given priority at food distribution sites and are assisted with porters to carry heavy food rations home. Larger families receive larger family ration sizes. WFP also runs an e-voucher programme which is registered in women’s names. Vulnerable women and girls also benefit from nutritional supplements and women-friendly spaces at distribution points.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach civilians in (a) the besieged area of East Ghouta and (b) other besieged areas in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID has supported the UN and international NGOs since the start of the Syria conflict to deliver aid to hard-to-reach and besieged areas, including Eastern Ghouta. DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta providing life-saving healthcare, food, and protection, but humanitarian access remains severely constrained. We continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to press the regime and its backers to allow unfettered access so aid can reach those in desperate need, while maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support women who are internally displaced in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
For internally displaced people to return home safely there must be an end to the conflict and a credible political settlement. This is the only viable path towards the peace and security that the Syrian people deserve. In the meantime, the UK is providing food, healthcare, water and other life-saving relief to internally displaced people – women, men and children – across the country. Since 2012, we have delivered 20.9 million food rations that feed a person for a month, 3.3 million vaccines against deadly diseases, and 8.1 million medical consultations for those in need in Syria.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect of providing support for gender equality in Syria on a) conflict resolution, and b) the role of women as carers in conflict situations.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK Government is committed to enabling women to have a voice within the UN-led peace process, and has encouraged the full participation of women in the Syrian opposition’s negotiating team. We recognise the essential and diverse roles that women and girls play within the conflict as carers, and heads of households. We design our programmes to take gender equality into account in line with the Gender Equality Act (2014).
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the priorities for international assistance in connection with the recent earthquake on the border of Iran and Iraq.
Answered by Alistair Burt
HMG staff have visited the earthquake affected areas in Iraq to assess priorities for international assistance. DFID Iraq funds have been used to provide emergency cash assistance to around 200 families who are unable to return home. This will allow families made homeless by the earthquake to find temporary rental accommodation, start to make repairs, and replace essential day to day items that have been lost in the rubble so that they can cook, eat, clean, and have a degree of dignity. The assistance will be targeted towards those most in need. HMG also stands ready to offer assistance to Iran and has made this offer to the Iranian authorities. The government of Iran has not requested international assistance so far.