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855745

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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 her Department monitors the delivery and spending of UK aid in the Palestinian Territories.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	131051
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>As for all DFID programmes, officials regularly monitor and review our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to ensure they are delivering results and 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. This includes comprehensive annual reviews and project completion reports. These reviews are available on the DFID Development Tracker at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. DFID has due diligence assessment processes to provide assurance over the expenditure of our funds, and DFID’s OPTs spending is subject to regular auditing by DFID’s Internal Audit Department and the UK National Audit Office. We have strong controls in place to monitor spending, including mapping the flow of funds to beneficiaries, regular audits of programme spending and where required, tight earmarking of funds. DFID has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and has robust controls against diversion of aid to terrorist groups.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 12/03/2018 10:54:28 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

855746

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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 steps she is taking to ensure that aid to the Palestinian Authority does not fund radicalisation.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	131052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred; I recently urged Palestinian Ministers to remain focused on this. UK financial aid to the PA is provided through the European Union (EU) Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) mechanism, contributing to the salaries of vetted public servants in the health and education sectors. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible, and the vetting process includes screening against international and ad hoc sanctions lists designed to prevent terrorism financing.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 12/03/2018 10:54:42 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

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

835950

registered interest
date	02/02/2018
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, if she will increase aid to the Palestinian Authority to £25 million as in the financial year 2016-17.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	126305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2018 answer text <p>DFID is currently carrying out a Resource Allocation Round to confirm the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 budgets, following the November 2017 budget, and as such does not have a confirmed allocation for support to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Finalised official figures for the current financial year (2017/2018) will be released in due course. The UK remains committed to supporting Palestinians and is working closely with the PA to help build the institutions of a sovereign future Palestinian state needed for a viable two-state solution. In particular the UK is supporting the PA to deliver essential health and education services.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 09/02/2018 11:30:24 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

833026

registered interest
date	29/01/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department will make its next assessment of the Palestinian Authority's compliance with the Partnership Principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Palestinian Authority.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
uin	125342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2018 answer text <p>HMG officials will complete a review of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) commitment to the Partnership Principles before the next annual Memorandum of Understanding dialogue with the PA. The date of the next dialogue has not yet been confirmed, but is likely to be completed in the first half of 2018.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 01/02/2018 14:10:18 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

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

823142

registered interest
date	15/01/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to monitor the (a) use and (b) spending of UK aid in the Palestinian Territories.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	122825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2018 answer text <p>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. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories this includes setting clearly defined expectations with delivery partners and conducting regular field visits to monitor the impact of interventions. We also conduct annual programme reviews to take stock of results. We have strong controls in place to monitor spending, including mapping the flow of funds to beneficiaries, regular audits of programme spending and where required, tight earmarking of funds. DFID has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and has robust controls against diversion of aid to terrorist groups.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 22/01/2018 18:01:06 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

823143

registered interest
date	15/01/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK aid to the Palestinian Authority does not fund radicalisation.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	122826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2018 answer text <p>Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to urge them to uphold this principle. UK financial aid to the PA is provided through the European Union (EU) Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) mechanism, contributing to the salaries of vetted public servants in the health and education sectors. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible, and the vetting process includes screening against international and ad hoc sanctions lists designed to prevent terrorism financing.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 22/01/2018 18:02:33 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

810143

registered interest
date	20/12/2017
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, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 118369 on Palestinians: overseas aid, what the robust verification system that validates that funds are used for the intended purposes is; and whether that system includes the payment of those funds into an account used only to pay the salaries of health and education public servants on the pre-approved EU list.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Ian Austin
uin	120609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2018 answer text <p>The Palestinian Authority payroll is checked by independent auditors, and UK payments made to all eligible beneficiaries are traced through the verification process. The EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) uses a dedicated sub-account within the PA’s Single Treasury Account for the purpose of contributing to public servant salaries. The UK has a further sub-account to only pay the salaries of West Bank health and education public servants; an independent auditor is able to confirm that funds from this sub-account reach the intended beneficiaries.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 08/01/2018 10:29:17 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

810144

registered interest
date	20/12/2017
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, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 118369 what assessment she has made of the whether the UK will continue to use EU funding mechanisms for its development assistance to the Palestinian Authority after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Ian Austin
uin	120610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2018 answer text <p>The UK has assessed that, having decided to focus our support solely on Palestinian Authority health and education public servants in the West Bank, the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management and Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) offers the best value for money and the most effective way of directly providing support to Palestinians in need, whilst providing strong safeguards for UK funds. DFID constantly reviews expenditure to ensure value for money; this is no exception. The UK’s ability to use the EU PEGASE mechanism will not be affected when we leave the European Union (EU). Non-EU countries are able to channel funding through this mechanism.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 08/01/2018 17:46:30 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley