Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to (a) health and (b) education services in areas captured from al-Shabaab in Somalia.

The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate closely with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities in areas recently recovered from al-Shabaab and to support stabilisation efforts. In November, I met the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser and raised the need for robust planning to meet these needs during and after military operations. Our Early Recovery Initiative supports stabilisation efforts by funding Somali-led responses to priorities identified by communities, including water and protecting critical infrastructure such as bridges. However, due to significant Improvised Explosive Device contamination and the persistent threat of Al-Shabaab counter attacks, it is not feasible for humanitarian and development actors to provide more sustained health and education services in these areas at this time.