Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to increase funding available for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan to tackle the cholera outbreak in that country.

The current cholera outbreak in Yemen has been declared by the UN as the worst in the world. Since the start of the outbreak in April, over 612,000 suspected cholera cases have been recorded and more than 2,000 deaths. Fewer than half of Yemen’s health facilities are functioning, and more than 19 million people have no access to clean water or sanitation.

In response, the UK increased aid to Yemen to £139 million for 2017-18, prioritising life-saving interventions including clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people. This also includes support to tackle the underlying causes of cholera by helping provide emergency food, nutrition, as well as supporting cholera prevention and providing medical supplies and treatment for those affected.

This is a significant increase from previous years, and makes us the second-largest contributors to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor overall. We are constantly reviewing our position and examining whether further funding should be made available, as we continue to work with the UN, other partners and donors to monitor and improve the response to the outbreak.

On the 11^th August, the Secretary of State for International Development announced that we are targeting £8 million of our support to UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration on activities specifically to address cholera. The funding will be used to provide medical supplies to half a million people, give safe access to chlorinated water to 300,000 people, and rehabilitate medical facilities used by 250,000 people.