Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to UNWRA on ensuring that it allocates resources on the basis of need.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK recognises the United Nations Relief Works and Agency’s (UNWRA) unique mandate from the UN General Assembly, to support Palestinian refugees until a lasting political settlement is reached, which determines their final status. The UK is committed to funding UNRWA to meet humanitarian need and promote regional security. Officials are in regular contact with UNRWA to ensure high quality aid delivery and judge that UNRWA is effective in allocating resources on the basis of need.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the September 2019 report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education on the content of school textbooks published by the Palestinian Authority; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks in the report published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education in September 2019.
At the UK’s insistence, the EU agreed to fund an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings to be due in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when it is planned to publish the findings of the review established by her Department, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research and other international partners of the books included in the Palestinian Authority’s school curriculum.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The UK secured EU agreement to commission the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review of the textbooks, which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.
We continue to encourage the EU to publish the findings. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are being taken by her Department to reduce the amount of single use plastics in developing countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
DFID is funding a number of interventions to tackle plastic waste and single use plastics in developing countries.
To support the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance launched in London in April 2018, DFID is providing expertise to developing countries that signed up to meet the ambitions of the Alliance. This includes working towards eliminating single use plastics.
In addition, DFID is funding projects to increase recycling of plastic and improve waste management in Uganda, Ghana and Vanuatu. DFID is also funding innovative research and supports UK charities working on plastic recycling and waste management though the Small Charities Challenge Fund and UK Aid Match. This includes funding work through Tearfund and Waste Aid, in Haiti, Pakistan, Cameroon, The Gambia and Kenya which is focused on reducing waste and pollution.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will use the UK's role as host of the Gavi Replenishment Conference to help ensure that the global vaccine agenda prioritises deprived and marginalised children.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is delighted to be hosting the Gavi replenishment at the Global Vaccine Summit in June 2020. Gavi has immunised over 760 million children, saving 13 million lives from preventable diseases. The UK is proud to have played a significant role in delivering these extraordinary results.
Children born to the poorest families, with the lowest levels of education, and living in the hardest to reach areas are the least likely to get vaccinations. Our priority as hosts of the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 will be to help Gavi secure the funding it needs to further deliver its life-saving work. As part of our influencing efforts, the UK will press for new strategies to address the poverty barriers and identify those children who miss out on life-saving vaccines. This includes promoting equitable coverage of immunisation to leave no-one behind and ensure vaccines are available for the most vulnerable. Leaving no child behind is integral to delivering on our manifesto commitment to ending preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children in developing countries by 2030.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase the level of Official Development Assistance allocated to Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s work is critical to the delivery of the UK’s objective to end preventable deaths, having helped save 13 million lives since its inception in 2000. The UK remains deeply committed to supporting this vital work, including through the provision of significant funding to Gavi and hosting the Gavi replenishment at the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 in June.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department has allocated to Nutrition for Growth.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK has been a global leader on nutrition since hosting the first ever Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in 2013. We are making progress against our 2013 N4G commitments as follows:
DFID officials are working closely with the Government of Japan to prepare for the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit. This will be an important opportunity to secure new commitments to nutrition, to set the world on a better track to achieve the Global Goals and to help achieve our ambition of ending preventable deaths by 2030. We are considering what commitment the UK Government will make at the Summit.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made on the review of the Palestinian Authority schools' curriculum.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure (a) roads through Taiz and Ad-Dhale remain open to humanitarian supplies and (b) humanitarian convoys in that area are protected.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are concerned about the deterioration of humanitarian access in Taiz and Ad-Dhale, following the recent escalation of fighting. We are closely engaging with the UN’s Humanitarian Co-ordinator and organisations delivering humanitarian assistance to establish the severity of the operating conditions they are facing.
The UK continues to call on all parties to the conflict to comply with UN Security Resolution 2451 to facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian actors. We are clear that there can be no military solution to this conflict. A political settlement is the only way to provide long term stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We encourage further constructive engagement from both parties to achieve this.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to internally displaced people in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is providing a range of support to displaced people in Yemen in response to the displacement of 3.3 million people since the conflict began in 2015. Last financial year (2018/19), for example, we contributed to the provision of food assistance to over 490,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) and since June 2017 we have helped over 40,000 IDPs receive psychosocial support and provided over 35,000 with life-saving health care.
The UK has also supported the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide primary healthcare and mental health services, legal assistance, child protection and support to survivors of gender-based violence. We are supporting IOM and UNHCR with £9 million this financial year (2019/20) to allow them to continue providing these vital services.