Written Question
Thursday 26th November 2015
Asked by:
Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question
to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to improve nutrition for women and children in lower middle income countries.
Answered by Grant Shapps
The UK Government has made a commitment to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020, including in lower middle income countries. Those being helped includes children under five, breast feeding women, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls. This commitment builds on our previous 2010 commitment to reach 20 million children under five and pregnant and breast feeding women with nutrition programmes by 2015. By mid 2015 we had reached 28.6 million people.
Further details can be found on Development Tracker: http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 28 Oct 2015
Oral Answers to Questions
"Q12. Last weekend was the first anniversary of the death from cervical cancer of Derry girl Sorcha Glenn, aged 23. In June 2013, she had been concerned enough to ask for an early smear test, but was refused because she was under 25. As Team Sorcha, which highlights other cases, …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 27 Oct 2015
Tropical Diseases
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this morning, Mr Davies. Like others, I commend the hon. Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy) on securing this debate and on the helpful way in which he set out the terms of the debate, which was helpful not least because, as …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 09 Sep 2015
Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean and Europe
"Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that that was exactly the catastrophic rationale that lay at the heart of the decision in autumn 2014 to suspend Mare Nostrum? That decision was taken on the basis that rescuing people was encouraging more people on to the seas. The decision to suspend …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 09 Sep 2015
Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean and Europe
"My hon. Friend may recall that she questioned the Prime Minister in October 2013, following the EU Council, on precisely these issues in the Mediterranean. At that time, the Prime Minister told her that
“we should try to avoid the sense that there are…front-line states…that are under particular pressure.”—[ …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 09 Sep 2015
Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean and Europe
"I sat through the debates yesterday and today and want to address a number of the points that have come up rather than just rely on some of the helpful and poignant briefings we have received from so many people.
One of the first things I want to do is …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 09 Sep 2015
Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean and Europe
"I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point, which is correct. We know from Amnesty and others that a cogent case has been made in relation to a number of deficiencies in the Schengen agreement and the Dublin regulation, which clearly need to be overhauled in the light of …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 09 Sep 2015
Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean and Europe
"The hon. Gentleman has clearly overcome whatever emotions afflicted him when he scrolled through his family photographs by conjuring up the most bizarre rationale. Does he not understand that many of us fully accept why Government Members want at every opportunity to stand outside a common currency in Europe, but …..."Mark Durkan - View Speech
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Written Question
Thursday 26th March 2015
Asked by:
Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question
to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of integrating early childhood development interventions on nutrition, immunisation and education on the effectiveness on strength of local health systems; and what contribution such an assessment has made to decisions on the funding of (a) her Department's country programmes and (b) multilateral programmes supported by her Department.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID recognises the value of early childhood investments and supports a range of early years’ research and investments, including integrated investments in nutrition, child health, water, sanitation, hygiene and education. Assessment of the impact of these programmes on the strength of health systems are made on a case by case basis at country level. Decisions on country and multilateral investments take account of context, programme objectives, the strength of evidence and analysis of the delivery channels that offer the best value for money.
Written Question
Tuesday 24th March 2015
Asked by:
Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question
to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of humanitarian conditions in eastern Sudan.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The lack of development in the east of Sudan has driven chronic humanitarian needs which continue to be of concern. According to the latest Ministry of Health national nutrition survey, the east of Sudan has some of the highest rates of malnutrition in the country, in many places exceeding emergency thresholds. High rates of malnutrition are of even greater concern as they increase the vulnerability of children to disease and the likelihood of fatality. The east of Sudan has been particularly affected by the ongoing measles outbreak.
There is also a long term refugee population of some 92,000 people who continue to require the services of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that they receive protection and their humanitarian needs are met.