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1001925

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Development Aid: Human Rights
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK official development assistance supports the work of agencies cited for human rights abuses in the October 2018 Human Rights Watch report Two authorities, one way, zero dissent.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188039
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2018 answer text <p>UK Official Development Assistance does not provide financial assistance or assets to support the Palestinian Authority (PA) agencies implicated in the Human Rights Watch report and continues to have a no contact policy with Hamas in its entirety. The report has made some serious and concerning allegations about human rights violations by the PA and we have immediately raised our concerns with the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. We continue to urge the PA to respect human rights, to ensure complaints of mistreatment or arbitrary detention are properly investigated and to continue to improve the performance of the security sector.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently delivers training courses and supports the development of training institutions across the Palestinian Authority security sector. Participants from two agencies referenced in the report, the Preventative Security Organisation and General Intelligence Service, have attended courses delivered by the MOD and by training institutions that are supported by the MOD. These courses serve to reinforce accountability, responsible governance and a common approach to the upholding of human rights and human rights law.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 14/11/2018 17:04:07 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1002050

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Yemen: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department had allocated funding to the Oxfam-supported (a) water supply system and (b) cholera treatment centres in Yemen which were hit by Saudi coalition air strikes in (i) April and (ii) June 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2018 answer text <p>No. Oxfam were not funded by the UK for either project.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 13/11/2018 17:57:25 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1002051

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Yemen: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many facilities and projects in Yemen in receipt of funding from her Department have been hit by Saudi coalition air strikes since the start of the conflict in that country in 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188067
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2018 answer text <p>Since the Yemen conflict began in 2015, our partners have reported two incidents to us in which UK funded assets incurred damage as a result of the conflict.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 13/11/2018 17:57:43 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1002053

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Yemen: Humanitarian Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the compliance with (a) Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and (b) Rule 55 of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Customary International Law Study of the restriction of supplies of food and medicine through the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188069
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK continues to raise concerns with the Saudi led-Coalition about the potential impact of any assault on the port and city of Hodeidah and is monitoring the resumption of hostilities in and around Hodeidah closely.</p><p>As we have consistently made clear, the Coalition must ensure that any further military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows both through the port and onwards across the country. For their part, the Houthis must not compromise civilian facilities (such as Hodeidah port as well as schools, hospitals and food storage facilities) and allow unhindered access to humanitarian agencies throughout areas they control.</p><p>To date, Red Sea ports remain operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 15/11/2018 18:02:30 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1002685

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Abduction
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the risk of kidnap for ransom to (a) aid workers and (b) other representatives of non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2018 answer text <p>Kidnapping for ransom poses a threat to the safety and security of aid workers and NGO staff operating throughout Syria, including in Idlib province. The UK continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian actors, so aid can reach those in desperate need, and those responding to the crisis can help the most vulnerable without fear of attack. Under a duty of care to their staff, humanitarian agencies should be conducting risk assessments and taking appropriate mitigating action to protect workers. The UK will continue to support any action to protect humanitarian actors throughout the country.</p><p> </p><p>The UK does not make ransom payments, on the basis that providing money or property fuels terrorist activity and encourages further kidnappings. Any payment to, or for the benefit of, a proscribed terrorist organisation is contrary to UN sanctions, and therefore illegal. DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation, and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation. All partners undergo a stringent due diligence process and strict controls and procedures are in place to prevent diversion, to ensure that UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 188761 question first answered 13/11/2018 17:58:53 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1002687

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Abduction
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding allocated by her Department to non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria has been used to make ransom payments to obtain the release of kidnapped aid workers in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	188761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2018 answer text <p>Kidnapping for ransom poses a threat to the safety and security of aid workers and NGO staff operating throughout Syria, including in Idlib province. The UK continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian actors, so aid can reach those in desperate need, and those responding to the crisis can help the most vulnerable without fear of attack. Under a duty of care to their staff, humanitarian agencies should be conducting risk assessments and taking appropriate mitigating action to protect workers. The UK will continue to support any action to protect humanitarian actors throughout the country.</p><p> </p><p>The UK does not make ransom payments, on the basis that providing money or property fuels terrorist activity and encourages further kidnappings. Any payment to, or for the benefit of, a proscribed terrorist organisation is contrary to UN sanctions, and therefore illegal. DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation, and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation. All partners undergo a stringent due diligence process and strict controls and procedures are in place to prevent diversion, to ensure that UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 188759 question first answered 13/11/2018 17:58:53 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006959

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding from her Department has been used in financial years (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19 to support humanitarian assistance programmes in areas of Syria controlled by the Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham militia .
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	191349
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response providing life-saving and life-changing support for millions of people across Syria, including those living in Northwest Syria where Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) is present.</p><p>In 2016/17 and 2017/18, DFID spent £205 million and £152 million respectively on humanitarian projects in Syria. In 2017/18, over a third of this was delivered cross-border from Turkey, mostly to Idlib governate in Northwest Syria, where in 2017 we reached over 600,000 people in need. For 2018/19, DFID plans to spend £174 million for life-saving support in Syria.</p><p>While we acknowledge that working in fragile and conflict-affected countries carries risks, DFID has robust and extensive controls in place to ensure that tax payers’ money is used appropriately and effectively, that UK aid reaches those who need it most and that it does not benefit extremist groups such as HTS. Our programmes are delivered by trusted NGO and UN partners with proven expertise and track records. We do not provide funding unless these organisations can assure DFID that it will not benefit extremists. All our assistance is monitored robustly, and DFID will withdraw support if there is a reason to believe UK tax payer’s money may be at risk. For example, in September 2018, DFID took the precautionary measure to pause all cross-border assistance at Bab Al Hawa in Northwest Syria, while we investigated concern around whether HTS collected fees from trucks delivering humanitarian aid. Whilst this situation was swiftly resolved, it demonstrates the robust approach we take to these matters, and are working with other donors to mitigate the risks of a similar situation reoccurring in the future.</p><p>As with other DFID programmes, our work in Syria remains under subject to regular review and close scrutiny, both through internal and independent processes, including by the National Audit Office and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which last examined DFID’s Syria humanitarian programmes in May 2018.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191350 question first answered 21/11/2018 15:49:41 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006960

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will ask the National Audit Office to investigate whether funding from her Department has been diverted in financial years (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19 to support the activities of the Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham militia.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	191350
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response providing life-saving and life-changing support for millions of people across Syria, including those living in Northwest Syria where Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) is present.</p><p>In 2016/17 and 2017/18, DFID spent £205 million and £152 million respectively on humanitarian projects in Syria. In 2017/18, over a third of this was delivered cross-border from Turkey, mostly to Idlib governate in Northwest Syria, where in 2017 we reached over 600,000 people in need. For 2018/19, DFID plans to spend £174 million for life-saving support in Syria.</p><p>While we acknowledge that working in fragile and conflict-affected countries carries risks, DFID has robust and extensive controls in place to ensure that tax payers’ money is used appropriately and effectively, that UK aid reaches those who need it most and that it does not benefit extremist groups such as HTS. Our programmes are delivered by trusted NGO and UN partners with proven expertise and track records. We do not provide funding unless these organisations can assure DFID that it will not benefit extremists. All our assistance is monitored robustly, and DFID will withdraw support if there is a reason to believe UK tax payer’s money may be at risk. For example, in September 2018, DFID took the precautionary measure to pause all cross-border assistance at Bab Al Hawa in Northwest Syria, while we investigated concern around whether HTS collected fees from trucks delivering humanitarian aid. Whilst this situation was swiftly resolved, it demonstrates the robust approach we take to these matters, and are working with other donors to mitigate the risks of a similar situation reoccurring in the future.</p><p>As with other DFID programmes, our work in Syria remains under subject to regular review and close scrutiny, both through internal and independent processes, including by the National Audit Office and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which last examined DFID’s Syria humanitarian programmes in May 2018.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191349 question first answered 21/11/2018 15:49:41 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1010166

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the findings of the 5th November report by the Office of the Inspector General at the United States Department of Defense concerning the diversion of USAID funding for humanitarian assistance in Syria to support the activities of the Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham militia.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	192766
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>hile we acknowledge that working in fragile and conflict-affected countries carries risks, DFID has robust and extensive controls in place to ensure that tax payers’ funds are used appropriately and effectively; that UK aid reaches those who need it and that it does not benefit extremist groups, such as Ha’yat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS). DFID does not provide funding unless our NGO and UN partners can assure us that it will not benefit extremist groups, and we will withdraw support if there is reason to believe UK tax payer’s money may be at risk. We remain at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis, and maintain close communication with the US, the UN and other donors to support international efforts in Syria.</p><p> </p><p>As with other DFID programmes, our work in Syria remains under constant review and scrutiny, both through internal and independent processes, including by the National Audit Office and Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which last audited DFID’s Syria humanitarian programmes in May 2018.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 26/11/2018 14:21:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1020687

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	USA: UN Population Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the withdrawal of US funding from the UN Population Fund on that agency’s HIV/AIDS prevention work.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	199826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>The UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) mandate is fundamental to global HIV prevention efforts and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p><p>UNFPA remains a key player in enhancing access to male and female condoms for HIV prevention, and are co-convenors of the Global Prevention Coalition which DFID supports, to accelerate action on both biomedical prevention and addressing the wider social drivers of HIV infection.</p><p>The UK continues to put women and girls at the heart of everything we do. We are the largest donor to UNFPA, and the second largest donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in the current replenishment. Our long-term commitment provides stability as the SRHR landscape changes and evolves.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 13/12/2018 16:26:24 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry