Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in (a) schools and (b) healthcare facilities in low and middle-income countries.

We remain committed to work in partnership with governments to strengthen the systems to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in schools and health care facilities in low and lower-middle income countries. Our WASH Systems for Health Programme works with five district health teams in Sierra Leone to maintain WASH services in health care facilities, to prevent infection and protect health workers. Globally, we work with partners including the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO to provide data on WASH services in schools and health care facilities to support governments prioritising, planning and mobilising finance to close the service gaps.