Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided to (a) charities and (b) humanitarian organisations in the eradication of (i) poverty and (ii) slavery in cocoa farms throughout the world.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Creating productive jobs and improving working conditions is critical to poverty reduction. The Department for International Development (DFID) is a long-term supporter of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL Alliance), the umbrella organisation for standards systems such as Fairtrade. DFID also supports the Ethical Trading Initiative, a multi-stakeholder body working with the UK food industry, their suppliers, trade unions and charities to implement International Labour Organisation standards in global value chains, including cocoa value chains. Our work on responsible investments focuses on a range of priorities, including improved conditions in the agriculture sector.
DFID is also at the forefront of the UK’s international efforts to implement the Prime Minister’s 2017 “Call to Action to end Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking”. This is a crucial part of our efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 8 on ending modern slavery. In 2017 the UK Government committed to doubling aid spending to tackle modern slavery to £150 million. We have exceeded this goal, with UK aid committed now exceeding £200 million.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what events the Department for International Development held to mark the United Nations Day for Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation.
Answered by Alistair Burt
On this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the Secretary of State attended an event hosted by the Royal College of Midwives and the ‘Vavengers’. This brought together over one hundred anti-FGM activists and survivors in the spirit of collaboration, partnership and shared determination to end FGM once and for all.
The UK leads the world in our support to the Africa-led movement to end FGM. In 2018 we announced a further £50m UK aid package - the biggest single investment worldwide to date by any international donor – to tackle this issue across the most-affected countries in Africa.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and is supporting hospitals and patients through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and addressing critical water and sanitation needs for 2 million people through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). We are a consistent top-five donor to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza, including basic health care. We are also supporting humanitarian access and enabling reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
In the longer term, the UK will help to address the underlying causes of humanitarian strife in Gaza by focussing on economic development and helping to lift the overall standard of living by increasing trade and job creation, enabling greater movement and access for people and goods and enhancing the supply of electricity and clean water. Ultimately, a political settlement is the only way to ensure lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is planning to send emergency aid to refugees to South Sudan as a result of violence in that region.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The conflict in South Sudan continues to drive the largest refugee crisis in Africa. Ongoing violence and the severe humanitarian crisis have forced nearly 2.5 million people to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. Through bilateral programmes and multilateral partners, the Department for International Development has provided lifesaving aid and livelihood support to South Sudanese refugees, including 950,000 refugees in Uganda; up to 150,000 in Sudan; and 100,000 in Kenya. DFID is also a significant contributor to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, providing £140 million of flexible funding from 2017-2021, which includes support for South Sudanese refugees who have fled to Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to support for South Sudanese refugees in the region, through our Humanitarian Response and Resilience in South Sudan (HARRIS) programme, DFID South Sudan is providing humanitarian and livelihoods support to 1.8 million people who have been internally displaced by ongoing violence.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2018 to Question 126095 on Developing Countries: Energy, if he will publish (a) companies, (b) locations and (c) funding allocated in respect of the programme; and whether he has plans to fund additional projects.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
DFID funding of Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) supports companies in Ghana (Clean Team), Bangladesh (Gulshan Clean & Care, Chittagong Seba Sangstha) and Zambia (Dream Team, Miracle Team) to develop waste to resource initiatives as part of improved faecal sludge management. We are currently reviewing our urban sanitation portfolio.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to promote Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28 May 2018; and what events she is planning to (a) attend and (b) organise.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK is committed to enabling all girls and women to manage menstruation safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and fully participate in society during their period. International Menstrual Hygiene Day is an opportunity to break the silence and raise awareness of the UK’s excellent work supporting menstrual hygiene management through health, girls’ education and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The Department is currently assessing the options for the most effective way to mark the day.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 134106, on Department for International Development: Payroll Reduction Scheme, if she will assess the potential merits of enabling departmental staff to contribute to a credit union via payroll; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
DFID will assess the potential merits and viability of enabling departmental staff to contribute to a credit union via payroll if at any time we receive a request from our employees to provide such a facility.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether officials in his Department who are members of credit unions have the facility to make deposits through payroll deductions.
Answered by Alistair Burt
There is no facility for making deposits to credit unions through payroll deductions.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has plans to fund the manufacture and provision of period pants in developing countries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to enabling all girls and women to manage menstruation safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and participate in society during their period. Access to affordable sanitary products is central to this and the UK is supporting a number of innovative projects to enhance access and choice. This includes a technology transfer initiative with the Indian company Aakar (www.aakarinnovations.com) to enable them to take their women’s enterprise and simple technology model for the local production of quality, low-cost, environmentally-friendly sanitary pads to Kenya and Tanzania. In Zimbabwe, we are supporting women’s groups to make reusable sanitary pads as part of a wider programme to support 95,000 vulnerable girls to stay in school. In Uganda, we have supported the testing and development of sustainable market models for distributing menstrual hygiene cups at scale. We also support menstrual hygiene management more broadly through health, girls’ education and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Department requires agencies delivering its programmes to ensure their staff have access to counselling for (a) post traumatic stress disorder and (b) other mental health needs.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID conducts due diligence to obtain a sufficient level of assurance of a potential delivery partner’s internal control framework, capacity and capability to deliver DFID programmes prior to entering into a formal agreement. DFID’s grant arrangements and contracts state that delivery partners are responsible for the health, safety and security of their staff.