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518782

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait – a fund for education in emergencies. A key focus for Education Cannot Wait will be on ensuring that marginalised children and young people are able to access a quality education. This includes refugees and internally displaced children, as well as children facing barriers to their education because of their gender, disability or other factors.</p><p>This focus is reflected in the Fund’s indicative headline results, which commits to providing “Inclusive education [that] reaches the most marginalised children and young people in crises” with a target of “100% of supported education opportunities demonstrate increase in education for girls, disabled and those in remote locations”.</p><p>The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase, to ensure that this commitment is fully reflected in its final design and results frameworks.</p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752410

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

732060

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>DFID invested £16.1m to maintain and repair Calshot Harbour in Tristan da Cunha between 2000 and 2016. Financial information prior to 2000 is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.</p>
	tabling member	530 label Biography information for Lord Jones

1201009

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200281

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

747381

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>In January 2017 the Department for International Development launched an Economic Development Strategy which includes a strong emphasis on supporting women workers to overcome barriers to opportunities; including unpaid care.</p><p>DFID is already supporting informal women workers to secure property rights and increase their access to finance and markets. In the Niger Delta DFID is working with women farmers and entrepreneurs to increase yields and sales from cassava, palm oil and fisheries.</p><p>New partnerships with business under the Work and Opportunities for Women programme, will improve job opportunities and working conditions for informal women workers in supply chains, with the intention of also addressing the burden of unpaid care.</p><p>In addition, the Department’s research on women’s economic empowerment has increased global recognition and commitments on the importance of an increased focus on care.</p>
	tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

747380

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK is a founding member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.</p><p>In response to the Panel, DFID is working to deliver better jobs and working conditions across supply chains, increase access to finance and rights to land and tackle legal barriers and discrimination. For example, DFID’s new Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) programme, will work with businesses in some of the poorest countries to improve job opportunities and working conditions for at least 300,000 women in global supply chains.</p><p>The UK has a strong domestic story. In April this year the UK became one of the first countries to introduce mandatory gender pay gap reporting for businesses over 250 employees. We are also working with business to achieve 33% of women on boards by 2020 and eliminate all-male boards in the FTSE 350.</p>
	tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

1200362

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1200363

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

732729

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The European Union Facility for Refugees in Turkey helps build schools, provide health services and makes social welfare payments for the most vulnerable refugees, and provides vital municipal infrastructure such as waste management and water treatment facilities to alleviate pressure on Turkish communities hosting refugees.</p><p>As of May 2017, 42% of the facility has been spent on education. Almost half a million Syrian refugee children have access to education and 20,000 Syrian volunteer teachers have received training in improved teaching techniques.</p>
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

751993

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200287

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

731047

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads the government’s work to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief internationally. DFID works closely with FCO, helping to raise concerns about discriminatory legislation and practices with governments, and funding targeted project work. We are clear that promoting freedom of religion or belief is an important contributor to achieving the UK Aid Strategy’s goals and is directly relevant to Sustainable Development Goal 16 on building peaceful and inclusive societies with access to justice for all and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. DFID’s Partnership Principles include consideration of freedom of religion or belief alongside other human rights.</p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752498

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

752497

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1203575

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

752493

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK is working closely with the United Nations (UN) to monitor the situation in Gaza. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution to the current energy situation that is affecting services such as electricity and phone and internet access. In Gaza, the UK is funding basic service delivery through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, enabling reconstruction work, and investing in job creation.</p>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1203576

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK has pledged £764 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19. We have delivered additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing funding to the World Health Organization and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity. Minister Cleverly also recently announced £20 million in new funding, which will help the Palestinian Authority support its health workers who have been on the frontline battling coronavirus and who help deliver life-saving medical services.</p><p>We also provided around £16 million in humanitarian assistance in 2019/20 to alleviate humanitarian and health needs in the OPTs. This included establishing a centralised surgical multi-disciplinary limb reconstruction unit, strengthening trauma care, enhancing the ambulance system, and training paramedics and frontline providers in Gaza. Our funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) also helps provide health services for around 3.5 million people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.</p><p> </p>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

752014

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Through these agencies, UK aid in detention centres is specifically designed to protect migrants’ and refugees’ human rights and meet basic needs, including by advocating for alternatives to detention for vulnerable groups like children. We also assist migrants to return home, if they wish to do so.</p>
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

751995

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

731002

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>DFID does not generally invest directly in hospitals, although we do support investment in strengthening health systems in developing countries. We recognise the benefits of using well designed natural ventilation where appropriate, including to reduce energy costs and prevent the spread of infection, as set out in World Health Organisation guidance on standards of infection control in health facilities. This provides advice on natural ventilation for infection control, allowing the creation of affordable and sustainable healthcare facilities that are safe for patients and healthcare workers.</p>
	tabling member	2543 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton

732099

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>UNHCR uses a robust set of vulnerability criteria targeting disabilities, income, age, and missing family members. Multiple partners contribute data to UNHCR’s analytical system, which permits better targeting of aid.</p><p>Following the World Humanitarian Summit, we and the international community have committed to improving needs assessments by increasing coordination and information sharing between donors and agencies.</p>
	tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark

752408

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer 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>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

732097

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>We are closely monitoring the current electricity situation in Gaza. This was initially triggered by a lack of fuel for the Gaza Power Plant, and exacerbated by a subsequent reduction in the supply of electricity from Israel, following a request from the Palestinian Authority. Gaza is considered a humanitarian priority for the UN and, though the humanitarian situation is deteriorating, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has not declared the current situation an ‘emergency'.</p>
	tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark

1199208

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>According to the UN, Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the entire population, over 24 million people, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance. More than 20 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to food and almost 10 million people face extreme food shortages.</p><p>We are concerned that the outbreak of COVID-19 in Yemen is already exacerbating this devastating humanitarian situation.</p><p>DFID modelling estimates that over 100,000 Yemenis are now likely to have been infected by COVID-19. With only half of Yemen’s health facilities currently functional, we are extremely concerned by the capacity of the Yemen’s healthcare system to respond.</p><p>Ultimately, a political settlement is the only way to properly address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We therefore strongly encourage all parties to engage with Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.</p>
	tabling member	4222 label Biography information for Lord Collins of Highbury

1202061

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>We assess that North Korea’s humanitarian need is likely increasing as a result of the country’s border lockdown in response to COVID-19. The lockdown has prevented most aid shipments from entering the country since January and restrictions on internal movement, including for UN agencies and NGOs, has severely impacted the distribution of aid and support. The UN estimates that 10.1 million people suffer from food insecurity and are in urgent need of food assistance.</p><p>DFID is providing multilateral funds to the UN and other international organisations providing humanitarian assistance in North Korea, including the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) in response to COVID-19. As a country of concern in the GHRP, North Korea is receiving funds from this global appeal. We continue to make clear to the North Korean government that international support is available, and urge them to restore international access and monitoring for humanitarian assistance. The UK has also repeatedly called on North Korea to prioritise the well-being of its people over the development of illegal weapons programmes, through our bilateral relationship and in multilateral fora.</p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1199362

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The High Commission in Abuja is tracking closely developments around the deplorable killing of Uwavera Omozuwa last month in a church in Benin City. The High Commissioner has spoken out against her killing and all gender-based violence (GBV), calling for those responsible to face justice.</p><p>GBV is an endemic issue in Nigeria and poses ongoing challenges to changing behaviour and ensuring equality and equity for women, girls, men, and boys. DFID Nigeria is committed to empowering women and protecting the most vulnerable. We directly support systems and interventions to mitigate and respond to GBV in the conflict-affected North East through provision of emergency medical care and in the case-management, legal counselling and psycho-social support for survivors of GBV through our humanitarian programme.</p><p>Across DFID Nigeria, we pursue DFID’s Strategic Vision for Women and Girls. We promote women’s rights and gender equality through multiple sectors: increasing women’s economic empowerment through dedicated livelihoods programmes; ensuring gender sensitivity of government social protection programmes; supporting women’s participation and representation in politics and civil society through governance programmes; and keeping girls safe in schools through our education programmes.</p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

746650

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Government of Nepal reports that 29,689 homes have been rebuilt following the 2015 earthquake. We assess the number to have been larger but that many of these need additional work to be resilient to future earthquakes. UK humanitarian support was needs-based. Reconstruction support targeted four of the most affected districts: Dhading, Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Gorkha. Our response was coordinated with the government but channelled through non-government organisations (60%) and multilateral organisations.</p><p> </p>
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

746103

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK Government is concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and it is vital that a further deterioration in living standards is avoided. We are working alongside international partners to make urgent improvements in infrastructure, economic opportunities, energy and water, to support vulnerable Gazans today and avoid a serious crisis in the future. However as the United Nations report makes clear, aid alone cannot solve the problems in Gaza. We continue to press all parties on the need for a sustainable political solution for Gaza which will address Israel’s legitimate security concerns whilst opening up movement and access. Resolving the current energy situation is a particular priority.</p>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1199266

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The High Commission has advocated for and supported the handing over of all children in any form of detention to UNICEF or appropriate agencies and this has led to the release of many hundreds in recent months. We will continue to urge all parties to prioritise mitigating the effect of conflict on civilians, particularly the most vulnerable including women and children. In respect to criticisms of the rehabilitation and reintegration components of Operation Safe Corridor, including evidence of boys accessing the programme, the High Commission in Abuja is currently reassessing its support to Operation Safe Corridor in light of this report. We will need to be fully satisfied with our partners’ plans for addressing these issues in order to continue our support.</p><p>UKAid already provides a range of humanitarian and development assistance in Nigeria that supports children affected by the conflict in the northeast, including those previously detained by the Nigerian authorities, and advocacy to the Nigerian authorities to manage these facilities in accordance with domestic and international law. This includes funding partners to provide dedicated case management support to particularly vulnerable children, including unaccompanied and separated minors, where physical and psychosocial health services plus essential material needs, are supported by UKAid.</p><p>DFID is actively delivering it Strategic Vision for Women and Girls in Nigeria to promote women’s rights and gender equality. This includes increasing women’s economic empowerment, supporting women’s participation and representation in politics and civil society through governance programmes, and keeping girls in school.</p>
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200998

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>No UK aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families or the so called Martyrs Fund. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient.</p><p>As is standard practice for all DFID programmes, we assess value for money for the UK taxpayer annually through our review process. Last year UK aid enabled 26,000 young Palestinians in the West Bank to get an education, delivered 3,300 MMR vaccinations for children and enabled 111,000 medical consultations. This is an important contribution towards supporting a stable Palestinian Authority (PA) that can deliver essential services to Palestinians and act as an effective partner for peace with Israel.</p>
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

753908

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Government takes extremely seriously any allegations that UN staff are giving preferential access to aid on the basis of the religious affiliation of beneficiaries. This would contravene international humanitarian principles and the UN’s own guidelines. Lord Bates and Minister Burt have arranged a joint meeting with Lord Alton and interested parties to discuss this important issue.</p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

746649

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK government is the second largest Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) contributor to the 2015 Nepal earthquake response, after Japan. The UK Government pledged £70m at the June 2015 International Conference for Nepal’s Recovery, which has been followed by a five year £83m reconstruction programme. We provided over 250,000 people with emergency shelter; over 200,000 people with winter including clothes, blankets and mattresses; and over 2000 hours of helicopter operations to reach communities inaccessible by road. Our assistance was provided via humanitarian delivery partners, including the use of volunteers by Voluntary Service Overseas, the Nepal Red Cross and the Nepal Scout Association.</p>
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

746648

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>In the last two years, her Majesty’s Government has supported the Government of Uganda in its efforts to host refugees from South Sudan by delivering food or a cash equivalent to 1 million refugees; vaccination and nutritional support to 350,000 children; and clean water for 150,000 refugees.</p><p>This support is delivered by UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. Support has been directed to the 12 refugee hosting Districts in Uganda.</p>
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

1203574

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).Last year UK funding to UNRWA, helped UNRWA provide education to around half a million children (half of whom are girls), health services for around 3.5 million Palestinian refugees, and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable.</p><p>DFID’s funding contribution to UNRWA 2017-2019 is as follows: £51.1m in 2017, £65.5m in 2018, £65.5m in 2019. We will announce our plans for 2020 in due course.</p>
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1199218

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK is deeply concerned about the surge in gender-based violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have consistently encouraged the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to prioritise GBV within the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) through bilateral channels and joint advocacy with other donors. We believe revising the GHRP to explicitly include a specific objective on GBV will prove lifesaving for women and girls.</p><p>Whilst we are pleased to see improvements in how GBV is being addressed overall in the GHRP, the UK is still championing a specific objective on GBV in future versions. All UN agencies and international actors must demonstrate that the shadow pandemic of GBV is taken seriously in the global response to COVID-19 and be held accountable for addressing GBV.</p>
	tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

755179

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK is the sole donor to the Girls’ Education South Sudan programme and will contribute £60 million over 5 years. In 2016, we provided £14.1 million for grants to girls and payments to schools.</p><p>In 2016 the programme provided cash transfers equivalent to approximately £15 each to 135,000 girls, to help them to remain in school. By the end of the programme we will have supported over 200,000 girls.</p>
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

732061

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Tristan da Cunha Administration is undertaking investigations of the suspended aquifers and the possible impact on the Tristan community. It is considering whether external technical assistance is necessary to assess the situation further. The Administration does not believe there is presently a threat to the Tristan residents.</p>
	tabling member	530 label Biography information for Lord Jones

747980

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>St Helena Line, the company who operate the RMS St Helena, has confirmed the estimated cost of maintaining the RMS St Helena since May 2016 is £916,000.</p>
	tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

748838

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The 2016 independent evaluation of the Health Partnership Scheme provided robust evidence that the Scheme contributed to strengthening partnerships; that its projects have strengthened developing country health worker skills and knowledge; and that the approach represents good value for money. The evaluation also finds that the Scheme benefits UK volunteers, who gain new skills and experience which they can take back into the UK health system.</p>
	tabling member	3783 label Biography information for Lord Crisp

753924

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The latest estimate from the UN is that there are 1.1 million acutely malnourished children in South Sudan. There are 586,600 children under 18 who have fled to Uganda and many of these will have been malnourished when they arrived. The UK is leading the international response to the crisis in South Sudan, and this year will feed 500,000 people and, with other donors, provide lifesaving nutritional support for 100,000 children and mothers, and over 1.8 million health consultations to children under five.</p>
	tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

752016

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Our programmes take account of context and risks, as well as humanitarian principles, and are designed to provide life-saving assistance and protection for the most vulnerable migrants and refugees.</p><p>The Department for International Development holds partners to account for ensuring the protection of vulnerable migrants and refugees by using robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks which enable tracking of project performance. Visits to project sites, including by staff located in the region, enable us to cross-check partner reports and ensure that funding is being used as agreed, and monitor risk and human rights compliance.</p>
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

752015

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As the UN agency mandated to protect and support refugees, UK support for UNHCR is specifically designed to help ensure that refugees are supported to access asylum procedures. UK assistance inside detention centres is not provided to increase detention capacity, but to protect migrants’ and refugees’ human rights and meet basic needs, including by advocating for alternatives to detention for vulnerable groups. We also assist migrants to return home, if they wish to do so.</p>
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1201019

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>DFID’s work on addressing the underlying drivers of fragility, conflict and instability in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) is vital. This is why the UK is pursuing a strong and co-ordinated global response to COVID-19, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. DFID 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 and improve governance, especially in FCAS.</p><p>DFID has consistently spent at least 50% of its Official Development Assistance in fragile and conflict affected states from 2015 to 2017. Figures for 2018 will be published in due course.</p>
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

748841

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>DFID is currently implementing an extension to the existing Health Partnership Scheme. This will allow partnerships to continue while plans for future support are being explored.</p>
	tabling member	3783 label Biography information for Lord Crisp

1199207

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>Minister Cleverly announced on 2 June at the UN’s Yemen Pledging Conference that the UK will be providing £160 million to the UN’s 2020 Yemen appeal this financial year (2020/21) to help respond to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. We remain committed to supporting the UN to deliver vital humanitarian assistance across Yemen in order to alleviate suffering and meet the needs of millions of vulnerable Yemenis.</p><p>Ministers and officials continue to engage closely with other donors and the UN to ensure a coordinated international approach to the current excessive restrictions on humanitarian access, particularly in Houthi held areas. We welcome recent steps taken by the Houthis to improve humanitarian access but are clear that more progress is needed, or humanitarian organisations will be unable to continue delivering vital assistance.</p>
	tabling member	4222 label Biography information for Lord Collins of Highbury

732743

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK Government is playing a leading role in reaching out-of-school children affected by conflict in the Middle East. At the London Syria Conference in 2016, the international community committed to providing quality education to all 1.4 million refugee and vulnerable host community children by the end of the 2016/7 school year. By April 2017, 1 million children were benefitting.</p><p>In Lebanon, DFID’s four-year education programme will help 147,000 children enrol in formal education and 100,000 in non-formal education, and improve teaching and learning standards for all children in school. In Jordan, DFID’s four-year education programme helps provide formal education for 193,000 Syrian children. The UK also contributes to the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which has provided access to education for almost half a million Syrian children. In the wider Middle East, the UK funds UNICEF to provide education as part of humanitarian appeals.</p><p>The UK has also supported the establishment of a new Education Cannot Wait fund to improve education in crises, with Yemen and Syria each benefitting.</p><p>DFID does not fund education provision through radio and TV in the Middle East.</p><p> </p>
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

753934

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the importance of snakebite envenoming (the act of being poisoned) and is carrying out research in this area. DFID and the Medical Research Council are currently funding the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to develop a new ‘universal anti-venom’ to treat victims of any of 21 of the most venomous snakes that threaten human health in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>In addition, DFID launched a call for expressions of interest for the development of new technologies in March this year. New anti-venoms to treat snake bites were highlighted as one of the areas where research is needed. The intent is to develop anti-venom that can be stored safely at ambient temperature, avoiding the need for refrigeration.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

731096

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>There are two DFID programmes in St Helena which provide capital funding to improve the Island’s infrastructure: i) the St Helena Airport Project and ii) the Core Support to St Helena Capital Programme. These programmes have provided funding to upgrade the road network, for the development of Rupert’s Valley Wharf container handling facilities and support to the fishing industry. In addition DFID has funded some feasibility work related to improved telecommunications.</p>
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

747391

	answering dept short name	International Development
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>DFID does not fund young people from overseas to undertake technical education or apprenticeships in the UK.</p><p>DFID supports young people from developing countries of the Commonwealth to study in the UK through the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan. Additionally, the FCO runs the Chevening scholarship scheme. Chevening is the UK government's international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders, including young people from the Middle East.</p>
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton