Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of reports by the (a) International Committee of the Red Cross and (b) Syrian Arab Red Crescent that Hassekeh city is at risk of running out of water as a result of damage to the main water station during the recent escalation in military conflict; and what steps will his Department take to ensure adequate water supplies to that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of water shortages in Hassekeh. These have been caused by the damage to the Alouk/Al Haouk water station, which compounds an existing issue as water supplies in Hassekeh have been under enormous strain since before the crisis. This water station is critical and serves approximately 400,000 people in Hassekeh and camps in the area. The UN is currently assessing the damage and needs in the water station. We are actively engaging with partners on the ground to assess any impact on their ability to assist those in need. Whilst partners had prepared contingency planning and prepositioned supplies in advance of the recent crisis, we understand that some of our partners have now had to suspend operations to protect their staff. In spite of this, we are engaging with our partners to ensure humanitarian access is continuing to be delivered to those in need. The Secretary of State has been in contact with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, to identify gaps in the humanitarian response.
Last financial year we provided over £40 million in humanitarian assistance in Northeast Syria, and intend to continue our support at that level this financial year. This support is focussed on reaching those in most acute need, providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria; and what steps her Department is taking to support refugees within that camp.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are working closely with our partners on the ground to meet the humanitarian needs of the roughly 70,000 people in Al Hol camp. Conditions at the start of the year were very poor, following a large and unplanned influx of people in need.
Last financial year we provided over £40 million in humanitarian assistance in Northeast Syria, and plan to continue our support at that level this year. The UK’s initial humanitarian response focused on immediate, life-saving support, such as food, water, shelter (over 1,300 tents for example) and healthcare. This included providing “safe spaces” for children in the camp.
The biggest challenge facing our current programme is security of staff, with recent events resulting in NGO international staff being evacuated and local staff having to continue delivery under difficult circumstances. In spite of this, we are engaging with our partners to ensure humanitarian access is continuing to be delivered to Al Hol.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian effect of the escalation of military activity in Northern Syria; and what steps his Department is taking to help alleviate the humanitarian situation in that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage.
The ongoing military action on the ground is having an impact on the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are discussing closely with our NGO partners and the UN. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials.
We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but will keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access for humanitarian supplies in Northern Syria after the recent escalation of military activity in that region; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure humanitarian support is provided to people in that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage.
The ongoing military action on the ground is having an impact on the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are discussing closely with our NGO partners and the UN. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials.
We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but will keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to Yemeni-led civil society organisations.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In order to protect key institutions and build national capacity in Yemen, the UK is supporting the Yemen Social Fund for Development, a national institution established in 1997. It works across the country to deliver development outcomes such as public employment programmes, access to water and sanitation, and local capacity building through a community-led approach.
DFID is providing £34.48 million to the Fund over three years (2018-2021), including £11.48 million this financial year. This support will provide hundreds of thousands of Yemenis with work opportunities through cash for work schemes, train health and education workers, and support local development by supporting small and medium enterprises.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian effect of the recent escalation of military activity in Al-Daleh province, Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UN estimates that 10,000 households have been displaced in Al Dhale this year, with the emergency response reportedly remaining limited and slow across the governorate due to severe access constraints.
The UK is actively raising humanitarian concerns with all parties, calling on them to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451 by facilitating safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian and commercial access.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to reverse the declining trend in Official Development Assistance spending on education.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2009 and 2018 DFID’s spend on education doubled from almost £500 million to nearly £1 billion. The Prime Minister has publicly stated that education, particularly girls’ education, is a priority for the UK. He announced £90 million for education in emergencies and protracted crisis including £85 million to Education Cannot Wait at the G7 Summit, and last week the UK announced a £515 million package of support for education, including a £300 million pledge for the new International Finance Facility for Education. In total, these announcements will support 6.3 million girls. Alongside our commitment to the Global Partnership for Education, the UK is now the leading bilateral donor to all three major multilateral education funds and continues to be one of the leading bilateral donors to basic education. At the UN General Assembly last week, the UK has been calling for others to step up and follow our lead.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to help meet Sustainable Development Goal 2 on zero hunger.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK is playing its part in ending hunger and undernutrition through a substantial portfolio of agricultural and other economic development programmes, social safety nets, and humanitarian response interventions; through its bilateral programmes as well as support to multilateral institutions.
Following the UK-hosted Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013, DFID has significantly scaled up its work to prevent and treat malnutrition. Since 2015, we have reached 60 million young children, adolescent girls and women with nutrition services, particularly in the most fragile and conflict-affected regions of the world.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart on an international alliance for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 on hunger.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are discussing opportunities for achieving more effective global interventions to reverse the negative trend on hunger and make progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) in the decade to 2030. This includes the German-initiated proposal for an SDG2 event in 2020, and the Government of Japan’s preparations for the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit.
In August, senior DFID officials met with senior counterparts in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) to consider options for creating alliances on SDG2 alliances, in particular in fragile and conflict-affected geographies and in climate-vulnerable areas.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Nigeria on the closure of humanitarian international NGOs in North-East Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are very concerned that the Nigerian Military has closed the offices of Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps in North East Nigeria. We call on all parties to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including allowing and facilitating the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in need. We have urged the Government of Nigeria to follow due process with the relevant judicial authorities to allow an impartial hearing in accordance with Nigerian Law and to enable the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance.