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1005607

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 20 June 2016 (HL413), whether they will make available the independent audits relating to UK direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
	uin	HL11378
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>In line with Section 27 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), we withheld the audit reports of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 2010 - 2015, in order to protect delivery of our poverty focused objectives.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 23/11/2018 14:16:30 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1005608

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 20 June 2016 (HL413), what is their assessment of (1) the adequacy of independent audits relating to UK direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority, and (2) the regular reviews of those audits, following of PwC’s response to a complaint submitted to the UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises that the narrow scope of its auditing work did not require it to consider the distribution of funds to individuals implicated as terrorists.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
	uin	HL11379
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>UK officials safeguard and continuously monitor the expenditure of UK aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. UK aid is channelled through the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE). Our money goes into a special, dedicated bank account before being paid to individuals who have been vetted in advance. Independent auditors then check that the money paid out of the UK dedicated bank account only goes to these vetted individuals after every disbursement. We remain confident that these measures enable us to adequately monitor and evaluate our support to the Palestinian Authority.</p><p> </p><p>The UK National Contact Point has published its Initial Assessment of the complaint made by a UK NGO. This concluded that the issues raised in the complaint merit further examination. The Initial Assessment is not an indication of any wrongdoing by the respondent. The UK National Contact Point is now working with both parties to facilitate mediation on the issues raised. In line with its procedures, the NCP will not be expected to publish further information on the case until this stage of the process is complete and a Final Statement has been prepared.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 23/11/2018 14:14:19 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1015839

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 23 November (HL11378), whether they have made any assessment as to whether the non-publication of the audit reports relating to UK direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is compatible with provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian National Authority and the Government signed on 7 July 2011 and extended on 22 December 2014 relating to the provision of effective public oversight of budget formulation and other key areas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
	uin	HL11840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The Memorandum of Understanding included a commitment to the UK’s Partnership Principles. One of those Principles was about improving domestic accountability through oversight mechanisms for Palestinian citizens to scrutinise budget formulation and implementation. The Principle did not relate to publishing audits of UK contributions. In line with Section 27 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), we withheld the audit reports of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 2010 – 2015.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 11/12/2018 17:28:50 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

824034

	registered interest
	date	16/01/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement on 16 November 2016 concerning future UK support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, how much funding they provided to the Palestinian Authority in (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18; what was the reason for any significant change in the level of that funding; and whether there has been any shift in UK policy towards such funding.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL4777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2018 answer text <p>In 2016/17 we provided £25 million of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Figures for 2017/18 will be published after the end of the financial year. UK financial assistance to the PA continues to be provided in accordance with the Government response, “Future UK support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories” published on 16 December 2016.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 30/01/2018 16:52:22 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

845538

	registered interest
	date	20/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas 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 effect of the reduction of bilateral funding from her Department to the Occupied Palestinian Territories from £83,358,000 in 2014 to £22,729,000 in 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
	tabling member printed	Richard Burden
	uin	128510
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2018 answer text <p>The figures quoted in the question are from the Statistics for International Development (SID) publication (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development</a>). SID publishes the UK’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) on a calendar year basis in line with the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, Development Assistance Committee’s definitions. However, DFID allocates budgets on a financial year basis (1 April – 31 March). This can result in some discrepancies between financial data presented according to the calendar year compared to the financial year.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 and 2015 DFID’s spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) spiked due to our provision of immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014 and subsequent early recovery and reconstruction assistance. In the 2016/17 financial year DFID provided over £68 million in funding to the OPTs to help build Palestinian institutions, deliver essential services and support economic development. We remain committed to providing support to the OPTs.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/02/2018 15:07:02 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

924065

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to publish the first quarterly update and progress report on her Department's People for Peaceful Change project in the occupied Palestinian territories.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
	tabling member printed	Richard Burden
	uin	153731
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2018 answer text <p>The expected publication of the People for Peaceful Change project quarterly update is by the end of June.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 21/06/2018 14:40:58 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

943100

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	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 publish the first quarterly update and progress report on her Department's People for Peaceful Change project in the occupied Palestinian territories before the House rises for summer recess.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
	tabling member printed	Richard Burden
	uin	164847
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>DFID is committed to ensuring the transparency of all UK official development assistance. The first annual review for this programme has been completed and submitted for publication on the Dev-Tracker website. It can take up to two months for the document to appear on the website. The first Quarterly Update will be distributed to interested Parliamentarians before summer recess.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/07/2018 15:01:33 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

927879

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial assistance her Department has allocated to (a) Gaza and the (b) Palestinian territories in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Blackburn
	tabling member printed	Kate Hollern
	uin	155818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2018 answer text <p>The financial allocation for each financial year is subject to change throughout the year, and the final expenditure in 2018/19 will be published in the 2018 Annual Report, which is expected to be published by July 2019. This is not disaggregated by Gaza and the West Bank. The UK supports stability and vulnerable Palestinian refugees through our financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA respectively. We are closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and the UK is supporting water and sanitation needs through £1.9 million support to UNICEF and £1.5 million to ICRC helping support patients in 11 hospitals in Gaza.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 25/06/2018 12:38:53 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4363 label Biography information for Kate Hollern

1052497

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department monitors the use of aid that it provides to the Palestinian Authority.
	tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
	tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
	uin	215590
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2019 answer text <p>Direct UK financial aid to the Palestinian Authority is channelled through the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE). Our money goes into a special, dedicated bank account before being paid to vetted health and education public servants in the West Bank. The bank account is only used for UK aid. Independent auditors check that the money paid out from the special bank account only went to the vetted individuals after every disbursement. Audits also include spot checks and field visits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>DFID will also help the Palestinian water and electricity authorities to increase sustainable supplies, particularly in Gaza. Through The World Bank Partnership for Infrastructure Development in the West Bank and Gaza Multi Donor Trust Fund, UK aid will flow from the trust fund to dedicated accounts that will be managed in accordance with robust rules established by the World Bank. DFID will monitor this support through independent financial audits of project spending and through regular programme updates provided by the World Bank.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>DFID funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is subject to the rigorous controls that are applied to all UK aid, including annual reviews, evaluation reports, and independent financial audits of programme spending. This information is triangulated with reporting from suppliers and programme partners, and through field visits.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 06/02/2019 17:36:27 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford

1052498

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Overseas Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on the uses of aid funding her Department has provided to Palestine.
	tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
	tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
	uin	215591
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2019 answer text <p>UK aid in the OPTs supports the protection of the most vulnerable, economic growth and job creation, and the delivery of essential services. DFID have also provided a rapid and flexible response to emerging humanitarian crises in the OPTs. Our support to the International Committee of the Red Cross has provided emergency health care assistance to aid Gaza’s burdened health system. DFID’s support to UNICEF has helped address critical water and sanitation needs for 2 million Gazans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>DFID funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is subject to the rigorous controls that are applied to all UK aid, including annual reviews, evaluation reports, and independent financial audits of programme spending. This information is triangulated with reporting from suppliers and programme partners, and through field visits. DFID implements a robust monitoring and evaluation system to ensure that UK aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and achieves the best development outcomes, with a strong focus on ensuring value for money for the UK taxpayer. Information relating to monitoring and evaluation processes in the OPTs is stored in accordance with DFID guidelines.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 06/02/2019 17:38:38 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford