Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

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

1006945

	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	Palestinians: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is supporting the Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund initiative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
	tabling member printed	Richard Burden
	uin	191273
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>DFID funded the Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund (AWEF) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) between October 2015 and March 2018, and currently funds the programme in Jordan and Egypt. DFID continues to monitor the sustainability and impact of AWEF in the OPTs.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 21/11/2018 15:44:49 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

1007037

	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	Developing Countries: Educational Exchanges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme, what steps her Department is taking to train 60,000 teachers and schools leaders in the UK and developing countries.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	191463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme (2018-2021) aims to reach 3 million pupils in over 4,000 schools partnerships by 2021. It will train 60,000 teachers and school leaders in both the UK and developing countries on the following:</p><ol><li><p>setting up and running equitable partnerships, which will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);</p></li><li><p>teaching and mainstreaming development education and global citizenship content, such as the SDGs;</p></li><li><p>teaching transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving; and</p></li><li><p>ensuring that education is inclusive and of high quality.</p><p> </p></li></ol><p>This training will be provided in line with best practice, using the model of two days of input, followed by approximately six weeks of putting the learning into practice, and then a follow-up to share the learning. This model worked well in the previous Connecting Classrooms programme (2015-2018), through which over 56,000 teachers were trained in the UK and overseas. Delivery of teacher training will begin in January 2019.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 21/11/2018 14:53:14 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1007510

	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	Ethiopia: Ethnic Groups
	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 2 November (HL10899), whether they are cooperating with other countries in their support of the Manjo people in Southern Ethiopia; and whether they intend to raise the social, political and economic marginalisation of the Manjo people at the United Nations.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL11509
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>Further to my reply of 2 November, I can confirm that the Civil Society Support Programme through which the UK supported marginalised communities in Ethiopia, including the Manjo, was a multi-donor programme. Contributors alongside DFID for the first phase of the programme were Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Canada and Denmark. The current phase of the programme which will continue to have a focus on marginalised communities including the Manjo will be supported by Ireland, Sweden and Norway.</p><p> </p><p>At this time we believe the Ethiopian government is taking steps to address the challenges which the Manjo and other marginalised groups face, and that continued engagement in-country alongside our international partners is the best course of action. We do not plan to raise the issue in the United Nations at present.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 23/11/2018 14:24:58 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten