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100625

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	North Korea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why North Korea is not one of the countries that the Department for International Development has prioritised for the funding of journalistic training for escapees; whether, in considering the allocation of resources, it considered that country’s media environment; and whether the Department for International Development is considering extending its funding to groups run by North Korean refugees that broadcast information into that country.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>DFID does not have a bilateral programme with North Korea. In the Financial Year 2014/15 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights and Democracy Programme is funding a project delivered by the Thomson Foundation titled ‘Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the Internet world’, which aims to give North Korean journalists a greater understanding of freedom of expression and using the internet to express it.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 06/11/2014 17:01:02 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

93674

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Ebola
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the remarks of Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organisation, about the ebola outbreak; and what is their current assessment of the projected number of fatalities in West Africa.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2103
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>We share the WHO’s concerns about the potential scale and global threat posed by the Ebola outbreak. According to the latest WHO data, there have been 4493 deaths from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as of 12 October. The US Centre for Disease Control estimates that the number of cases in West Africa could reach 1.4 million by January 2015. In response to the outbreak, the UK is playing a leading role in the international response, and has committed £125 million to contain, control and ultimately defeat the disease in Sierra Leone.</p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 21/10/2014 16:34:09 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

93408

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Iraq
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety of Christian and Yezidi refugees in the Kurdish region in Iraq and the likelihood of an IS-led genocide against them.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>The UK Government is using all the resources at its disposal to push back and ultimately seek to destroy ISIL. This includes providing military assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting ISIL so that they can restore control over the areas taken by ISIL, deploying a specialist team of Army trainers into Erbil, to provide Iraqi forces with training, and the RAF carrying out surveillance flights to provide greater situational awareness. The UK will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Kurdish and wider regions of Iraq.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, DFID has provided £23m of UK Aid to Iraq, £17.5 million of which is funding NGOs, the UN and the Red Cross who continue to provide support to displaced people, including carrying out protection activities. All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against. Our aid is reaching displaced people across Iraq, including in the Kurdish region, to which many Christians and Yazidis have fled.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State for DFID visited Iraq in August and urged the then Designate, now confirmed in post, Iraqi Prime Minister, Haida al-Abadi, to ensure that his government protects all minorities in Iraq, promotes human rights and asserts the rule of law. The UK has also helped to secure a UN Human Rights Council Resolution mandating the UN urgently to investigate and report on ISIL abuses.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 21/10/2014 16:34:47 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

93410

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Middle East
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered relocating tented facilities from Afghanistan to the Kurdish regional area to house displaced refugees; and what discussions they have had with the Kurdish authorities about providing adequate shelter for refugees during the winter months.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2076
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>DFID is already delivering at scale in Iraq. UK Aid has provided £17.5 million (of a total £23m) in funding to the UN, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) and ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) for projects including winterisation assistance such as shelter kits for people living in collective shelters and unfinished buildings. In addition we have supplied 1,545 winterised tents and 4,720 thermal blankets for various UN agencies and NGO partners to distribute across affected areas including to families vulnerable in the winter climate. Our Advisors on the ground are working closely with aid agencies, the UN and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that there is both an accurate assessment of need and an effective plan for meeting it. The UK will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Kurdish and wider regions of Iraq.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 21/10/2014 16:35:30 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

92399

registered interest
date	06/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Iraq
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made so far by the International Humanitarian Partnership with establishing the proposed three camps, each to house 15,000 persons, for refugees who have fled from the fighting in Iraq; how that progress compares with the anticipated schedule; how many refugees are believed to be in need of shelter; which ethnic or religious groups are being assisted in those camps by the International Humanitarian Partnership; and what assessment they have made of what is likely to happen to those who are not provided for by those camps.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>The International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) is building one camp in Shekhan which will provide shelter for up to 6,000 people. Camp construction is on schedule and should be ready to provide shelter by mid-November. The IHP was initially requested by UNHCR to build three of the sixteen camps that will provide shelter to those who have been displaced by the conflict in Northern Iraq. This proposal has now changed and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken charge of building the two other camps.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) has received 860,000 displaced persons in successive waves. Of these, it is estimated that approximately 390,000 are in need of shelter. Of the £23 million that DFID has provided in response to the crisis, £17.5 million is funding United Nations (UN) agencies and NGO (Non-Government Organisation) partners to provide shelter, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and protection services. We continue to respond to the crisis on the basis of needs although we recognise that many of those who are receiving assistance belong to religious or ethnic religious groups that have fled persecution.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UN is working on a revised Strategic Response Plan (SRP) which will provide an assessment of the overall needs of refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). This SRP will include the shelter requirements for displaced persons up to December 2015. Our Advisors on the ground are working closely with aid agencies, the UN and the KRG to ensure that there is both an accurate assessment of need and an effective plan for meeting it.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 20/10/2014 16:29:51 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

92402

registered interest
date	06/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	South Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that the recommendations of the Oxfam Report <i>From Crisis to Catastrophe, food security in South Sudan</i>, published on 6 October, are implemented.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1964
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and have recently announced a further £25 million of humanitarian assistance, making the UK one of the largest donors to the response with total contributions of £150 million this year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UK support has enabled humanitarian agencies to provide essential assistance in both United Nations camps and ‘hard-to-reach’ areas. Our assistance is providing more than 400,000 people with emergency food and/or livelihoods, 170,000 people with clean water, and 180,000 with improved hygiene and sanitation, and will assist thousands more this year. The UK is also ensuring that its development programmes contribute where possible, by maintaining health and education services through local systems; and by building the resilience of households through livelihoods programmes. We have also funded dozens of staff to key positions in the UN to assist with coordination and planning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This assistance has helped to prevent deterioration of food security to famine levels. It has also helped agencies deal with the recent cholera outbreak, and provided support to survivors of sexual violence. However, we remain concerned about the humanitarian situation moving into 2015, with the risk of famine still real if conflict continues. Security and access remain major constraints to reaching those in need, especially in the hard-to-reach areas. We continue to stress the important need for all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities, and to allow unhampered access for humanitarian assistance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We will continue to engage on the recommendations in the report in our role as member of the Security Council and in discussions with UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Governments of the region, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover grouped question UIN HL1965 question first answered 20/10/2014 16:35:16 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

92403

registered interest
date	06/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	South Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Oxfam Report <i>From Crisis to Catastrophe, food security in South Sudan</i>; and, in particular, how they will (1) assist the humanitarian efforts to create better conditions in United Nations camps, (2) improve co-ordination and delivery of aid to where people are, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, (3) ensure that diverse and sustainable interventions are made, building on local systems, and (4) improve management and planning to prevent future delays.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and have recently announced a further £25 million of humanitarian assistance, making the UK one of the largest donors to the response with total contributions of £150 million this year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UK support has enabled humanitarian agencies to provide essential assistance in both United Nations camps and ‘hard-to-reach’ areas. Our assistance is providing more than 400,000 people with emergency food and/or livelihoods, 170,000 people with clean water, and 180,000 with improved hygiene and sanitation, and will assist thousands more this year. The UK is also ensuring that its development programmes contribute where possible, by maintaining health and education services through local systems; and by building the resilience of households through livelihoods programmes. We have also funded dozens of staff to key positions in the UN to assist with coordination and planning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This assistance has helped to prevent deterioration of food security to famine levels. It has also helped agencies deal with the recent cholera outbreak, and provided support to survivors of sexual violence. However, we remain concerned about the humanitarian situation moving into 2015, with the risk of famine still real if conflict continues. Security and access remain major constraints to reaching those in need, especially in the hard-to-reach areas. We continue to stress the important need for all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities, and to allow unhampered access for humanitarian assistance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We will continue to engage on the recommendations in the report in our role as member of the Security Council and in discussions with UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Governments of the region, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover grouped question UIN HL1964 question first answered 20/10/2014 16:35:17 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

92404

registered interest
date	06/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	South Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made in South Sudan to ensure that all parties to the conflict and all armed groups (1) end violence and respect all agreements signed to date, including the Cessation of Hostilities and humanitarian agreements; (2) stop attacks against civilians, their homes and livelihoods, and end the forced recruitment of children; (3) guarantee protection of and respect for humanitarian staff; and (4) guarantee safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1966
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>The intensity of the conflict in South Sudan has reduced substantially during the rainy season, but low level fighting and restrictions on humanitarian access in violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) continue. Steps towards a wider ceasefire were agreed in principle by the main warring parties in August, but an implementation matrix has not yet come into effect.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A further round of peace talks convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) was held from 22 September to 5 October, with the mediators reporting some progress around the formation of a Transitional Government of National Unity to lead the country out of conflict. We expect talks to resume again after regional consultations, and the UK government continues to offer its full support to this process.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has stepped up patrols and continues to focus on protection of civilians and creating the conditions for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, in line with its renewed mandate agreed on 27 May 2014. Additional UN troops from regional forces have also been deployed in support of teams monitoring CoHA implementation. UK support has enabled humanitarian agencies to provide essential assistance in both UN Protection of Civilian (PoC) camps and in ‘hard to reach’ area. However, security and lack of access remain major constraints to reaching those in need and we continue to stress the important need for all parties to respect the CoH, and to allow for unhampered access for humanitarian assistance.<br></p><p> </p><p>On 25 September, South Sudan’s Foreign Minister recommitted to his country’s 2012 Action Plan on Children and Armed Conflict at an event hosted by the Minister for Africa in New York. However, we continue to receive credible reports of the use of child soldiers in some areas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 20/10/2014 16:36:19 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

78855

registered interest
date	17/07/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Central African Republic
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote humanitarian access and improve ambient security in the Central African Republic.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Security is the overriding factor in enabling humanitarian access and the UK is playing a strong role as part of the international community’s response. We provided early support to the deployment of the African Union mission (MISCA), as well as to the EU security mission (EUFOR) and co-sponsored the UN Security Council Resolution that authorised a UN Peacekeeping Operation (PKO) which will deploy in September.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 29/07/2014 16:52:39 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

78856

registered interest
date	17/07/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Central African Republic
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of reports of worsening humanitarian access to the Central African Republic.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/08/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Conditions in CAR are extremely challenging for both humanitarian workers and local communities. The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported over 770 security incidents throughout CAR since January 2014. 67 of these incidents have directly targeted humanitarian personnel. DFID is working with agencies which have appropriate systems and a level of community acceptance to enable them to access some of the most vulnerable populations in CAR. In 2014 DFID has funded the ICRC, UN agencies and international NGOs to support communities who have suffered from the violence.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 04/08/2014 10:42:38 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool