Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1025322

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in fragile and failed states.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	202290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the issue of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. We also press for the inclusion of child protection in peacekeeping responses through UN mandate renewals and resolutions. The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for CAAC contributing £800,000 in the last five years. We have shown our support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups.</p><p>In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to reduce the impact of conflict on education, and the Vancouver Principles, which aims to ensure that child protection is an operational priority for UN peacekeeping missions. As a member of the Group of Friends of CAAC in Geneva, we also participated in a joint statement to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2018, in which we reiterated our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for CAAC. We worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427 adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/12/2018 13:21:45 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

858581

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the (a) EU and (b) UN Security Council on stopping the practice of using child soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131836
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which consists of Security Council members, and which leads the international response on the issues of child soldiers and child protection. We work particularly closely with allies and like-minded states on the Council, notably France, the Netherlands and Sweden, to advance common efforts and UK objectives in this area.</p><p>In November 2017, my colleague Lord Ahmad, the Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, participated in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Children in Armed Conflict, focused on the findings of the UN Secretary-General's 2017 Annual Report. Lord Ahmad welcomed the work of the UN and of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, and reiterated our concern about the continuing grave violations committed against children in conflicts around the world.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:07:50 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

858582

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to organisations which tackle the use of child soldiers in conflict in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131837
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>The FCO has provided funding to both UN organisations and civil society groups, to tackle the use of child soldiers in armed conflict. This totals £1,864,000 since 2015.</p><p>This figure comprises funding to the UN Department of Peacekeeping to provide key child protection staff, totalling just over £1 million from 2016-19.</p><p>Between 2015 and 2019, we will have also given £620,000 to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, making the UK the number one donor to this Office. We have lobbied others to increase their contributions.</p><p>We have also provided £75,000 in both financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17, as well as £85,000 in financial year 2017/18, to the NGO Children and Armed Conflict Watch List.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:13:40 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

858583

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help partner countries to build institutional capacity to decrease the use of child soldiers in conflict.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>We provide funding to support the work of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict's to implement UN Action Plans with relevant UN Member States. This includes technical missions to monitor violations committed against children.</p><p>We also appreciate the expertise which civil society organisations can bring to tackling this issue, and we are currently providing funding to strengthen the monitoring, reporting and response by civil society actors in Nigeria, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 16:47:58 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

846263

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies on the protection of children in armed conflicts of the findings of the Save the Children report entitled War on Children, published in February 2018.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	128937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ensuring that the needs of children affected by conflict are addressed. 50% of DFID’s spending is directed towards fragile states and regions, including the many countries which Save the Children highlights are the most dangerous for children.</p><p> </p><p>Our investment in protecting children in conflict zones is emphasised through our many multilateral and bilateral programmes around the world. Some of the examples of how we achieve this are as follows. We are the largest contributor to Education Cannot Wait, the first global movement aid fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. Through this, we target some of the world’s most vulnerable children, aiming to reach 3.4 million children through its first set of investments. We contribute funds to the No Lost Generation Initiative, a commitment by the international community to support children and youth affected by the Syria and Iraq crises, mainly in education and protection. In Somalia, we work with the UN and international NGOs to ensure the rights of children affected by conflict are addressed through family reunification, support to their nutrition needs and reducing the risks faced by displaced children. In Yemen and Iraq we fund UN agencies to undertake critical child protection work. In Afghanistan we seek to change the way the conflict is fought to reduce child casualties and ensure that vulnerable children have access to supportive services.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 26/02/2018 12:43:56 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

846266

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will review will her Department's civilian protection strategy in light of the recommendations in the 2018 Save the Children report, War on Children.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	128939
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2018 answer text <p>The Department for International Development does not have a specific civilian protection strategy. The Government’s 2017 Humanitarian Reform Policy sets out our objectives for, and approach to, protecting people in crises and upholding humanitarian norms and principles, laying out how we work for the protection of civilians.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 28/02/2018 17:00:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

844064

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will publish a response to the report of Save The Children entitled War on Children, published in February 2018; and what steps her Department is taking better to protect children in those conflict zones referred to in the report.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	128405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ensuring that the needs of children affected by conflict are addressed. 50% of DFID’s spending is directed towards fragile states and regions, including the many countries which Save the Children highlights are the most dangerous for children.</p><p>Our investment in protecting children in conflict zones is emphasised through our many multi-lateral and bilateral programmes around the world. Some of the examples of how we achieve this are as follows. We are the largest contributor to Education Cannot Wait, the first global movement aid fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. Through this, we target some of the world’s most vulnerable children, aiming to reach 3.4 million children through its first set of investments. We contribute funds to the No Lost Generation Initiative, a commitment by the international community to support children and youth affected by the Syria and Iraq crises, mainly in education and protection. In Somalia, we work with the UN and international NGOs to ensure the rights of children affected by conflict are addressed through family reunification, support to their nutrition needs and reducing the risks faced by displaced children. In Yemen and Iraq we fund UN agencies to undertake critical child protection work. In Afghanistan we seek to change the way the conflict is fought to reduce child casualties and ensure that vulnerable children have access to supportive services.</p><p>We do not have plans to publish a response to Save the Children’s report, <em>The War on Children</em> - DFID officials are in regular contact with Save the Children on this agenda. We recently partnered to co-host a high level Wilton Park dialogue to address the mental health and psychosocial support needs of children affected by conflict in the Middle East.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 26/02/2018 11:38:44 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

513700

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department funds for the support and treatment of African former child soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	34468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and protecting children affected by armed conflict. Minister Shapps met with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict at the UN General Assembly in 2015 to demonstrate the UK’s engagement on this critical issue. We also support international efforts, for example through the Common Humanitarian Funds and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in conflict-affected and fragile countries in Africa, to assist children, including those who have been members of armed groups, and to reduce the risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. In the long-term children are best protected by peaceful, accountable states capable of providing security and justice for all, access to basic services, and meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. Building peaceful states and societies is the overarching framework of our work in countries affected by conflict and fragility.</p><p>We also recognise that education is important in order to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and reintegrate former child soldiers back into their communities. DFID is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries, especially in Africa. Between 2010 and 2015 the UK Government supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries; 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. We have again pledged to support 11 million children with a decent education between 2015 and 2020.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 21/04/2016 16:38:48 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

456204

	registered interest
	date	29/02/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children living in conflict zones to access education.
	tabling member constituency	Copeland
	tabling member printed	Mr Jamie Reed
	uin	28943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2016 answer text <p>DFID’s priority areas in education are to improve learning, to reach all children – especially those in fragile states - and to keep girls in school and learning. The UK is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries. Between 2010 and 2015 DFID supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries, 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. DFID has again pledged to support 11 million girls and boys with a decent education between 2015 and 2020. In addition, by 2017, our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge will enable up to 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality to help transform their lives, including in countries such as Somalia and South Sudan.</p><p>DFID is also supporting initiatives to improve how the international community provides education in emergencies, including conflicts. This includes leadership to establish the ‘No Lost Generation Initiative’ (NLGI) in 2013 to prevent the loss of an entire generation of children to the effects of violence and displacement in the Syria conflict. As part of this support, the UK has allocated £115 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria. As a result, over 251,000 children have received formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and perform well in public school examinations. In addition, a key outcome of the recent ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’, held in London on 4 February, is the commitment that, by the end of the 2016/17 school year,1.7 million children – all refugee children and vulnerable children in host communities – will be in quality education with equal access for girls and boys.</p><p>Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit in May, DFID is also working with partners to improve how education is delivered globally in humanitarian and protracted crises.</p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 03/03/2016 16:06:32 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
	tabling member	1503 label Biography information for Mr Jamie Reed

448385

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to discuss the issue of education for children in areas of conflict at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016; and what plans she has to ensure children have access to education in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	24414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2016 answer text <p>Education will be a significant theme in the World Humanitarian Summit and we will use this opportunity to promote our aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school.</p><p>DFID supports children overseas to go school and continuing learning even when they are forced from their homes. This includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.</p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 03/02/2016 14:50:19 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day