Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what was the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) her department and (ii) the Government Equalities Office, in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Department for International Development’s electricity and gas usage and costs in its UK headquarters for the years 2014/15 - 2017/18 are as follows:
2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | |||
Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) |
3,705 | 473 | 3,477 | 431 | 3,528 | 482 |
Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) |
901 | 25 | 1,188 | 29 | 1,063 | 30 |
The Government Equalities Office is physically based in the Department for Education. As such, the quantity and cost of electricity and natural gas used by the Government Equalities Office is subsumed within the Department for Education’s consumption figures. These can be found in response to written questions 188849 and 188850.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the quantity was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) her Department and (ii) the Government Equalities Office in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Department for International Development’s electricity and gas usage and costs in its UK headquarters for the years 2014/15 - 2017/18 are as follows:
2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | |||
Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Electricity Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) |
3,705 | 473 | 3,477 | 431 | 3,528 | 482 |
Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) | Gas Consumption (thousand Kwh) | Cost (£'000) |
901 | 25 | 1,188 | 29 | 1,063 | 30 |
The Government Equalities Office is physically based in the Department for Education. As such, the quantity and cost of electricity and natural gas used by the Government Equalities Office is subsumed within the Department for Education’s consumption figures. These can be found in response to written questions 188849 and 188850.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Government response to the Fifth Report of the International Development Committee, Session 2014-15, HC 816, whether the Department has developed its position paper on health systems strengthening.
Answered by Alistair Burt
As recognised by the Fifth Report of the International Development Committee, DFID is a world-leader in health systems strengthening. A good health system delivers quality services to all people when and where they need them, addresses the social determinants of health such as nutrition and sanitation, and can prevent and respond to shocks such as disease outbreaks. DFID is in the final stages of developing a position paper on how we will work with developing countries to create strong and resilient health systems.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the potential for a mass civilian evacuation from Mosul.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID is working closely with officials across Government, and with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the United Nations, and the international community to support an effective Iraqi–led humanitarian response in Mosul. My officials are in contact with Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence colleagues on a regular basis.
DFID recently announced an extra £50 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq, taking our total humanitarian commitment to £129.5 million since June 2014. This will address existing humanitarian needs and support preparations for the humanitarian response in and around Mosul. The UK has also committed £20 million to help stabilise areas in Iraq liberated from Daesh.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches children and families in besieged towns in Syria.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. We have pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.
The UN estimates that, of 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, 4.6 million are living in areas where humanitarian access is extremely restricted, including 592,700 people living under siege. It is unacceptable and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war.
We are doing all we can to open up humanitarian access. We have supported the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to UN-designated hard-to-reach and besieged areas. UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions have enabled over 300 convoys of aid to reach vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas without the consent of the Syrian regime. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and International Syria Support Group to push for unrestricted and unfettered humanitarian access, whilst maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.