Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of (a) food, (b) clean water, and (c) shelter for Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazaar area of Bangladesh.

DFID has worked closely with agencies on the ground to increase the supply of food being provided to huge numbers of refugees who have fled from Burma to Bangladesh and is determined to ensure that food is reaching those that need it. DFID is supporting the World Food Programme, which is managing food distribution. DFID assesses that current distribution has reached 70% of the Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh.

While approximately 77% of the Rohingya refugee population have access to safe water, around a third of total water sources in the camps are believed to be contaminated. One of the largest cholera vaccination campaigns in the world is underway. The UK is the largest funder of the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, which is providing cholera vaccines for the campaign. We are also looking to increase chlorine provision and promote hygiene standards to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.

Emergency shelter materials have been provided to 90% of the refugee population and will have been provided for all refugees by the end of November, after which humanitarian organisations will upgrade shelters to improve their resilience to disasters and extreme weather.