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, whether her Department plans to contribute funding to the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We continue to closely monitor the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and are considering providing further humanitarian support in 2019. Last year we provided £2 million to UNICEF which was included in the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for the OPTs. This support has helped reduce the spread of disease in Gaza by disinfecting water in 280 water wells, 48 desalination plants, and 40 water reservoirs.
We have also recently announced a new package of £2 million to the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) to support Gaza’s struggling health sector. This funding is contributing to the delivery of surgical equipment, drugs and disposables, wound dressing kits, and rehabilitative prosthetics. It will also help to provide physical rehabilitation services for up to 3,000 disabled people. This support is fully in line with the objectives of the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan.
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 her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in the Rukban camp in Southern Syria.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation of the estimated 41,000 people stranded at Rukban camp. DFID engages regularly with the UN to understand the latest assessments of the humanitarian needs of those in the camp – these needs remain high, particularly given the lack of sustained access provided to humanitarian actors. Together with our international partners, we continue to call on the Syrian Regime and its backers to facilitate sustained humanitarian access to the camp.
DFID is continuing to support essential humanitarian assistance to Rukban camp, including contributing to the provision of clean water and medical support for the UN clinic. In 2018 alone, DFID funding to those at Rukban provided 8,000 children with malnutrition screening, 5,000 children with vaccines, 2,500 children with medical consultations and contributed to the provision of safe water and hygiene kits for 50,000 people.
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 her Department is taking to support internally displaced people in Rubkan camp in Southern Syria.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation of the estimated 41,000 people stranded at Rukban camp. DFID engages regularly with the UN to understand the latest assessments of the humanitarian needs of those in the camp – these needs remain high, particularly given the lack of sustained access provided to humanitarian actors. Together with our international partners, we continue to call on the Syrian Regime and its backers to facilitate sustained humanitarian access to the camp.
DFID is continuing to support essential humanitarian assistance to Rukban camp, including contributing to the provision of clean water and medical support for the UN clinic. In 2018 alone, DFID funding to those at Rukban provided 8,000 children with malnutrition screening, 5,000 children with vaccines, 2,500 children with medical consultations and contributed to the provision of safe water and hygiene kits for 50,000 people.
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 ensure compliance with (a) UN Security Council Resolution 2286 and (b) the protection of medical facilities and personnel in the relation to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK will always uphold international laws, use our influence to encourage others to do likewise, seek to condemn those that do not, and push for accountability to abused populations. The UK co-sponsored UNSC Resolution 2286 in 2016, and our support for this agenda remains steadfast. We are committed to respecting and promoting compliance with International Humanitarian Law and condemning serious violations and abuses, including the protection of medical and humanitarian personnel and their assets. We strongly condemn the attacks and threats of violence that have targeted the response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. In particular, we express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, a WHO health worker, who was murdered in an attack on 19 April.
The UK is a major donor to the Ebola response in DRC and works closely with partners on the front line. There is a clear and pressing need to protect frontline health workers, Ebola patients and others involved while being sensitive to community dynamics in an area which has faced decades of conflict.
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 her Department is taking to provide psychological support to children in Yemen who are affected by the conflict in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
In 2017, through the UK's support to the UNICEF/UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage, UK support reached 5,569 adolescent girls in Yemen with life skills training, information and services for psychosocial support. In addition to the training, they were also provided with medical and legal services, safe shelter and cash support, including dignity kits.
The UK has also supported over 2,600 children in Yemen over the last twelve months with protection activities, including psychosocial support, as part of our £19 million of funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
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 her Department made of trends in the level of incidences of (a) measles, (b) diphtheria and (c) malaria in Venezuela; and what steps is her Department taking to support programmes to tackle incidences of these diseases in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Official figures show that the incidences of measles, diphtheria and malaria in Venezuela have all risen over the past few years. They report that a diphtheria outbreak began in Venezuela in July 2016 and from then until February 2019, a total of 2,726 suspected cases were reported (324 in 2016; 1,040 in 2017; 1,198 in 2018; and 164 in 2019) with 1,612 confirmed cases and 270 deaths (17 in 2016; 103 in 2017; and 150 in 2018).
Regarding measles, World Health Organisation assesses that the 2018 epidemic seems to have been largely brought under control thanks to vaccination campaigns supported by Pan American Health Organisation, but the risk remains. They report that, from mid-2017 to February 2019, a total of 9,399 suspected cases were reported (1,307 in 2017; 7,809 in 2018; and 283 in 2019) with 6,242 confirmed cases and 76 deaths (2 in 2017 and 74 in 2018).
According to the World Malaria Report 2018, the Americas accounted for 0.44% of malaria cases (975,700 cases) in the world; 42% (519,109 cases) were reported by WHO in Venezuela. It is now part of the group of countries with the highest burden of malaria at the global level with 0.22% of global cases.
The UK Government remains extremely concerned about the situation in Venezuela and has announced an emergency aid package of £6.5 million to respond to the most severe needs, in particular health, by providing immunisations against deadly diseases, supporting emergency rooms and ensuring that people who are fleeing their homes have access to crucial support, including through the provision of mobile health clinics.
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 her Department has made of the level of access to Venezuela for providers of humanitarian aid.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Recent developments such as the announcement by the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) that they will have unhindered access to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela, the expansion of the activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) following a visit by their President from 7-11 April, and the entrance of additional UN humanitarian staff into the country, indicate that there may be some improvements to the level of access to Venezuela for providers of humanitarian aid. However, additional steps are needed. We continue to follow developments closely and call for unhindered access for all humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of the Venezuelan people. The UK is providing a package of £6.5 million in aid to respond to the most urgent needs in Venezuela and the region.
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 her Department is taking to tackle sexual exploitation and trafficking of Rohingya refugee women and girls.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID is addressing the prevention of trafficking of Rohingya refugees as a cross-border issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Up to 18% of DFID’s latest £70 million funding to the Rohingya crisis response in Bangladesh is devoted to the protection of rights for refugees, including prevention and monitoring of sexual exploitation and abuse. DFID funding includes support for family planning and clinical support to survivors of sexual violence, and women’s centres that offer a safe space, psychosocial support and activities for women and girls. In addition, we have tripled our funding to deal with modern day slavery in Myanmar.
The Secretary of State for International Development raised her concerns about the risk of trafficking of Rohingya refugee women and girls in February with the Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Education and Minister for Disaster Management and Relief.
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 she has had with his international counterparts on preventing Rohingya refugees from becoming victims of human trafficking.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID is addressing the prevention of trafficking of Rohingya refugees as a cross-border issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Up to 18% of DFID’s latest £70 million funding to the Rohingya crisis response in Bangladesh is devoted to the protection of rights for refugees, including prevention and monitoring of sexual exploitation and abuse. DFID funding includes support for family planning and clinical support to survivors of sexual violence, and women’s centres that offer a safe space, psychosocial support and activities for women and girls. In addition, we have tripled our funding to deal with modern day slavery in Myanmar.
The Secretary of State for International Development raised her concerns about the risk of trafficking of Rohingya refugee women and girls in February with the Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Education and Minister for Disaster Management and Relief.
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 her Department is taking in its capacity as a board member of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance to improve access to the human papilloma virus vaccine.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is a longstanding member of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and has supported Gavi’s human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine agenda since its introduction to Gavi support in 2013.
Gavi support has seen HPV vaccine demonstration programmes occur in 30 countries, the first step to introducing the vaccine. Through our seat on the Gavi Board, the UK has encouraged this greater access for the HPV vaccine. The UK has also supported Gavi in expanding its remit to reach beyond childhood immunisations and enable adolescent girls to be eligible for the HPV vaccine.
Gavi’s approach to market shaping means that all vaccines, including HPV, are more accessible and affordable. Its health system strengthening support results in better health services which can expand to include new vaccines for adolescent girls. Through our strong engagement in Gavi, we will continue to focus on ensuring that Gavi makes strong progress in improving access and coverage across all life-saving vaccines, including the HPV vaccine.