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752410

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government (1) what contact they have had with, and (2) what support they intend to provide to, the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee, regarding (a) the rebuilding of 13,000 homes on the Nineveh Plains, and (b) the need to ensure that those Christians internally displaced from the Plains are provided with adequate food supplies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL855 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201009

	registered interest
	date	08/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	World Health Organization: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how much they have contributed to the World Health Organisation's COVID-19 Response Fund.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL5355
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK has contributed £75 million to help the WHO lead international efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 16/06/2020 11:10:11 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200281

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Myanmar: Humanitarian Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how much, in total, the UK has provided in aid funding for humanitarian assistance to Burmese Chin refugees in Malaysia and Delhi.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL5178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK provides humanitarian assistance to Chin refugees in Malaysia and India via the UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency. The UK has provided UNHCR with predictable, core, unearmarked funding of £35 million per year since 2012, currently as part of a four-year (2017-2020) programme of support alongside other UN humanitarian agencies. In India and Malaysia UNHCR provides support to refugees, including ethnic Chins, comprising advocacy, legal representation, community outreach and assistance programmes.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 17/06/2020 16:34:53 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200362

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Development Aid: Family Planning
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how they ensure (1) the availability of, and (2) equitable access to, sexual and reproductive health and rights services is included as part of the essential package of health services for their COVID-19 response overseas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL5257
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK proudly continues to work with our key partners, including UN agencies, national governments and civil society, to protect and advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), to ensure that decades of progress toward securing universal access are not reversed by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>We remain committed to supporting the Minimum Initial Service Package for Reproductive Health in Crises and have provided UNFPA with an additional £10 million for life-saving SRH services as part of the global humanitarian response plan to COVID-19.</p><p>The UK-aid funded Global Financing Facility is continuing to support governments to maintain health systems in 36 affected countries, with a focus on protecting reproductive, maternal and newborn health services. Our flagship SRHR programme ‘WISH’ is delivering desperately-needed services and supplies during the pandemic across 27 countries, including increasing use of technologies, more self-care delivery and working to ensure SRHR is part of national COVID-19 essential service delivery. Ensuring that no-one is left behind is key to this effort. Local radio and SMS are providing critical messages on SRHR and COVID-19 to those living in remote areas. Where possible, fee waiver schemes are removing cost-barriers for the poorest and community outreach services continue in rural areas where it remains safe to do so.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 11/06/2020 10:54:56 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1200363

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Developing Countries: Health Services and Social Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that their overseas programmes support front-line health and social workers and caregivers with equitable access to training, personal protective equipment and other essential products, taking into the account the specific needs of women.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL5258
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK recognises the critical role of front-line health, social and care workers, particularly now. We know that women make up 70% of global frontline health workers and are often the first responders in a crisis. UK aid helps provide these workers with the resources they need.</p><p>For the global COVID-19 response, we have pledged £75 million to WHO, to help the organisation lead international efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic. This includes support to front-line health workers with equitable access to training and essential medical supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment. We are also investing £20 million in the African Union’s and Africa Centres for Disease Control COVID-19 response, to fund the deployment of African health experts and provide specialist training for clinicians.</p><p>DFID programmes also support capacity building for health professionals. The new five-year, £30 million UK Partnerships for Health Systems programme will build a better-skilled health workforce in countries across Africa and South Asia, training health workers including nurses and midwives.</p><p>We are already a leading global health donor, and an advocate for public health investment to achieve universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goal 3. Investment in, recruiting and retaining skilled healthcare professionals is critical to achieve the Global Goals and meet our manifesto commitment to end preventable deaths of women, children and new-borns.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 16/06/2020 11:08:30 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

751993

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Nuclear Power
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure their emergency funding for displaced people from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains reaches displaced minorities such as the Yazidis and Christians; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which their policy of neutrality and impartiality will lead to the inclusion or exclusion of those who have been subject to genocide.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL828
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <ul><li>The UK Government recognises the specific risks faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh. We are aware of reports that fear of persecution or discrimination in camps may be deterring some people from using them, and are in close touch with our partners involved in the management of camps and the delivery of services within them, including UN agencies. They have clear guidelines, mechanisms and accountability frameworks in place to prevent discrimination by their own staff or those of their partners. DFID takes any allegations that these are not being applied effectively very seriously, and stands ready to follow up specific allegations with the partners concerned.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The security of the camps and all those living in them is the responsibility of the appropriate civil authorities (e.g. in Iraq, it lies with the Government of Iraq) and is monitored by independent humanitarian actors such as UNHCR. UK officials stand ready to report any specific allegations of persecution or violence against religious minorities within the camps to those authorities. The Government is concerned about Daesh infiltration inside camps. In Iraq the Iraqi authorities carry out screening of those entering camps in order to seek to prevent such infiltration. UN agencies have set up grievance mechanisms that allow any minority member to anonymously report abuse, persecution or discrimination; these can also be used to report on suspected extremist activity.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID’s funding for Iraq is targeted towards those who are most in need including vulnerable people from minority communities such as Yazidis and Christians. It is delivered in line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the whole of Iraq, which is based on comprehensive needs assessments carried out by a wide range of partners. The humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion, that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. In the difficult environments in Syria and Iraq, where access to vulnerable people is often very challenging especially as some actors such as Daesh and the Assad regime deliberately prevent humanitarian access, DFID regularly challenges our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities. We welcome information from all sources to help us to hold them to account.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID is not aware of scheduled meetings in 2015 with Christian representatives in Iraq that officials did not attend, but DFID officials regularly meet with representatives of Iraqi Christian and Yezidi communities. DFID Ministers have also met representatives of these communities.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID has received Dr Russell Blacker’s correspondence and has responded suggesting a meeting is organised with Dr Blacker, Lord Bates and Mr Burt to discuss together.</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL829 HL830 HL831 question first answered 20/07/2017 16:23:20 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200287

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Development Aid: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting responses to the COVID-19 pandemic which seek to address (1) the immediate, and (2) the underlying, causes of conflict and violence; and what steps they are taking to make sure Official Development Assistance supports communities to manage any increase in social tensions as a result of the pandemic.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Goudie
	uin	HL5185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK is pursuing a strong and co-ordinated global response to COVID-19, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. We recognise the risk that responses to the pandemic in some contexts may include politicisation, exploitation and securitisation, which may risk fuelling grievances, triggering violent instability, dividing societies and emboldening conflict actors.</p><p>The UK is taking steps to ensure that both our immediate responses to COVID-19 and long-term recovery efforts do not exacerbate conflict and instead help to build peace, improve governance and strengthen social cohesion. We are encouraging our implementing partners to demonstrate accountability, strengthen local owner- and leadership and adopt inclusive, conflict sensitive approaches. We are also working with partners, governments, media providers, civil society and local leaders to counter misinformation. DFID and the FCO are working together to encourage state and security responses that are transparent, proportionate, fair and promote human rights as a core part of the UK response.</p><p>We particularly recognise the importance of working with local women’s rights and women-led organisations to deliver more effective and safer responses. We also believe that greater engagement of local partners ensures continuity and builds resilience and social cohesion as efforts shift to the medium and longer term recovery.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/06/2020 11:39:54 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

752498

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking concerning the reported confiscation and destruction of EU-funded humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL944
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2017 answer text <p>We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions and confiscations in Area C of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The European Union (EU) has not to date asked for compensation for EU-funded infrastructure. No decision has been made yet as to whether to claim compensation in the future.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 24/07/2017 13:48:35 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

752497

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking concerning the reported delays in ambulance response times to treat injured and sick Palestinians.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2017 answer text <p>Ambulance and permit delays can lead to missed appointments and interrupted treatments, endangering the health and lives of patients. The UK has consistently called on the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions that reduce access to medical care for Palestinians. The UK supports essential health services in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through funding to the Palestinian Authority and UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 24/07/2017 13:51:16 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1203575

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Gaza: New Businesses
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to encourage new technological enterprises in Gaza.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL5729
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK is more than tripling spend on Economic Development programming in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and we will provide £58 million between 2018 – 2023. This includes helping improve water and energy supply, particularly in Gaza, and addressing movement and access restrictions that currently inhibit trade. By focussing on these issues, we aim to improve daily life and opportunities for thousands of Palestinians.</p><p>The FCO and British Council also provide funding to the OPT’s to support our commitment to educating tomorrow’s academics, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs, including in digital skills. The Chevening scholarship programme and Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL) provide support to Palestinians to access the best of UK university education and expertise. The @Palestine project is working to develop the English skills of Palestinian youth to enable them to engage in the global digital economy.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 25/06/2020 16:50:46 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge