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, how much her Department has spent on bilateral funding for HIV a programmes in each year since 2009.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID is one of the largest funders of the global HIV response, spending over £1.5bn between 2010/11 and 2016/17. The majority of our investments to the HIV response are directed through organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Unitaid and UNAIDS, given their greater reach and scale.
Since 2009, DFID has spent a total of £640m on bilateral funding for HIV programmes.
2009 / 2010 - £146 million
2010 / 2011 - £172 million
2011 / 2012 - £96 million
2012 / 2013 - £90 million
2013 / 2014 - £48 million
2014 / 2015 - £34 million
2015 / 2016 - £27 million
2016 / 2017 – £27 million
2017 / 18 spend will be published later in 2019.
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 reduce the global prevalence of TB, HIV and AIDS.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is a global leader in efforts to end the AIDS epidemic and in tackling TB. The UK is currently the second largest investor in the Global Fund, providing £1.2 billion in the 5th replenishment (2017 – 2019). In 2017 the Global Fund provided 17.5 million people with treatment for HIV and treated 5 million people for TB. The UK has significant investments through health multilaterals such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), which provides technical leadership on tackling TB, HIV and AIDS and on strengthening health systems. We also invest in Unitaid, which is supporting the introduction of new medications for drug-resistant TB and support to them has given the world great advancements in HIV testing and treatment, at affordable costs.
We also fund research and product development into more effective diagnosis and treatment and we support countries to strengthen health systems so that they can deliver quality HIV and TB care.
The UK Government also pushes for global action on TB, HIV and AIDS through the G7 and G20 and our work with the WHO, Global Fund and other key institutions.
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 she will make it her policy to allocate additional funding at the 6th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in October 2019.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is critical to the delivery of the UK’s objectives on the three diseases and has helped to save 27 million lives since 2002. The UK is fully committed to a successful Sixth Replenishment. We will announce our contribution in time for the October Replenishment Conference in Lyons.
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 proportion of the UK’s aid spending on the Occupied Palestinian Territories is allocated directly to local NGOs.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID in the Occupied Palestinian Territories does not provide any direct funding to local NGOs. DFID works through a limited number of partners in the OPTs such as the UN, the World Bank, the ICRC and the European Union. We select our partners for the strong safeguards they have in place, which reduces delivery risks and ensures the maximum impact of UK aid for Palestinians. However, some of our international NGO and multilateral partners do work with local NGOs to achieve the best development outcomes, with a strong focus on appropriate safeguards and ensuring value for money for the UK taxpayer. DFID implements a robust monitoring and evaluation system to ensure that UK aid reaches the intended beneficiaries.
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 she has made of the (a) effect on young children with (i) malnutrition and (ii) cholera and (b) the other humanitarian effects of the airstrike on Kitaf Hospital on 26 March.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We are deeply concerned of reports of an alleged airstrike on a petrol station near a hospital facility on 26 March 2019. UK officials have been in contact with Save the Children, who fund the hospital, about this alleged incident and have raised this matter with the Saudi-led Coalition, who have announced an investigation into this alleged incident.
The UK is 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 all parties to achieve this.
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 effect of trends in (a) delays and (b) denials of entry visas to Yemen for humanitarian workers on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The operating environment in Yemen remains extremely difficult for humanitarian actors, with UN agencies and NGOs regularly facing administrative constraints when delivering aid, including delays to travel permissions and operating agreements, and visa denials.
The UK is in close communication with partners operating on the ground to understand and mitigate against these constraints. We also support the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, who works tirelessly with both parties to the conflict and humanitarian actors to facilitate access and ensure aid reaches those most in need.
The UK also raises humanitarian concerns directly with both parties, calling on them to comply with UN Security Council 2451, drafted by the UK, which requires the parties to facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance.
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 adequacy of access for humanitarian supplies from the port of Aden.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The effective functioning of Aden port is highly important in allowing increased levels of humanitarian supplies entry into Yemen through this port. However, Aden port lacks the necessary berthing, storage, and milling capacity required to maintain the food supply chain to the rest of Yemen. Due to Aden’s location, it would also take several days to transport supplies by road, across multiple conflict frontlines, to reach those who are most in need in northern governorates.
The Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef have an irreplaceable role in preventing a further decline in the humanitarian crisis. These ports act as the entry point for the majority of humanitarian and commercial supplies to people in need in northern governorates.
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 improve women’s access to maternal care and family planning services in Yemen.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK’s humanitarian programmes and policies are actively supporting health and medical services in Yemen, where only 50% of health facilities are functioning and 19.7 million people lack access to health care.
This includes increasing women’s access to maternal care and family planning services in Yemen. As part of the UK’s funding to UNICEF over the next three years, we will support 240,000 women each year with reproductive health services, including support for family planning and childbirth.
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 her Department has made of the humanitarian impact of the recent escalation of military activity in Hodeidah.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Since it came into effect in Hodeidah on 18 December, the fragile ceasefire has continued to hold and there has been a general de-escalation by both sides around the city.
As a result of the ceasefire, the UN estimates that tens of thousands of IDPs have recently returned to Hodeidah. On 26 February, a UN mission reached the Red Sea Mills facility outside Hodeidah city for the first time in nearly six months, paving the way to releasing enough wheat to feed up to 3.5 million people for a month. Hodeidah port remains open and the food pipeline into Red Sea ports is strong. In February 2019, Yemen imported 114% of its monthly pre-conflict food import requirements.
It is imperative that the parties implement the Stockholm agreements, which will secure access into Hodeidah port and vital onward supply routes. There can be no return to major military operations in Hodeidah: this would be catastrophic for Yemen and potentially push millions into famine.
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 she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a child marker scheme to track the money that her Department spends on interventions targeted at children; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID provides significant support to children in both development and humanitarian contexts through programming across a range of sectors including child protection, social protection, education, nutrition, health and economic development.
The introduction of new markers in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) system is agreed by consensus of all members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Currently the OECD DAC has paused the introduction of new markers to carry out a review of the marker system with a view to aligning ODA closer to the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. We will await the outcome of this review before further considering an appropriate method to track this issue.