Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has for her Department's Future Fit Programme in each year between 2015-16 and 2019-20.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Future Fit initiative (2013-15) was an internal process to shape DFID’s response to climate change and resource scarcity in its development investments. Building on the lessons learnt through Future Fit, as set out in the new ODA strategy for the 2015 Spending Review DFID will have a greater focus on climate-smart development – particularly through investments in infrastructure, agriculture, cities, water and sanitation and health.
Through the International Climate Fund to date, the UK has helped over 15 million people cope with the effects of climate change and given 2.6 million people access to clean energy. The Prime Minister recently announced that over the next five years the UK’s climate funding will increase by at least 50%.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the net effect of her Department's projects on greenhouse gas emissions in each of the next five years.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The principal channel through which the UK Government targets reductions in greenhouse gas emissions overseas is the International Climate Fund (ICF), managed jointly by DFID, DECC and Defra.
The ICF seeks to prevent emissions by supporting countries to shift to cleaner, low carbon approaches and technology. The expected savings by the end of this financial year are over 6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is a result of a variety of programmes and interventions across developing countries which seek to exploit the economic benefits of clean energy technologies, avoid locking countries and cities in to high-carbon futures, help poor people to access energy, and reduce the risks of harmful climate change.
The latest results for greenhouse gas emission reductions, both achieved, expected to be achieved (by April 2016), and expected over the full lifetime of the programmes are as follows:
Achieved results (results reported by April 2015) | Expected results by April 2016 | Expected total benefits* | |
Reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions (Tonnes of CO2e) | 2,300,000 | 6,600,000 | 440,000,000 |
*Some ICF programmes will continue to deliver results long after our financial support ends. Expected total benefit figures include long term legacy benefits beyond the lifetime of the programmes, and outside of the 2011 – 2016 Spending Review period.
The full set of ICF results can be found here:
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department is supporting in promoting free media in Burma.
Answered by Alan Duncan
DFID provides a global grant to BBC Media Action which includes work in Burma. In Burma, this has supported capacity-building with the state broadcaster, training of local journalists, and the launch of new programmes featuring opposition voices and the views of ordinary people.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to achieve universal healthcare in Burma.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Along with other donors, DFID funds the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund. This fund is delivering improved reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services across seven states and regions, as well as funding gaps in the national programmes to control HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. The fund also invests in improved health systems, including the supply of drugs and commodities, human resources, and health information systems.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of international efforts to improve levels of safety and conditions of work in Bangladesh's garment industry.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I spent most of last week in Bangladesh, assessing the progress that has been made one year on from the tragedy of Rana Plaza. Steps have been taken to improve working conditions in the garment sector, including through factory inspections and strengthening the labour inspection regime. The UK's support is focused on all areas where action is needed: improving building safety and working conditions, empowering workers and urging buyers to take responsibility for their supply chains.