Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any proposals to prevent burns and other accidents in Gaza caused by overcrowding and unsafe heating and lighting.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) recently undertook an assessment of fire and safety standards in their collective centres, where over 10,000 people are still sheltering. Following this assessment, UNRWA have taken a series of actions including preventing families from using electricity through external cables, launching a safety awareness campaign and providing training with civil defence on the standard operating procedures if a fire occurs.

The UK provided £9million to the UNRWA Gaza Flash Appeal following the conflict last summer, and remains the third largest donor to the UNRWA General Fund.