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

1006928

registered interest
date	14/11/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Libya: Constitutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the timescale for a national referendum on the draft constitution for Libya following the passage of legislation to facilitate such a referendum by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	191339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191340 191341 191342 question first answered 22/11/2018 17:44:09 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006930

registered interest
date	14/11/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Libya: Constitutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the timing of a national referendum on the draft constitution for Libya of legal disputes regarding legislation passed by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate such a referendum.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	191340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191339 191341 191342 question first answered 22/11/2018 17:44:09 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006948

registered interest
date	14/11/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Libya: Constitutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether legislation passed by the Libyan House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate a referendum on that country's draft constitution was approved in a vote of that House or a collection of members' signatures.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	191341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191339 191340 191342 question first answered 22/11/2018 17:44:09 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006951

registered interest
date	14/11/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Libya: Constitutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether the High National Election Commission of Libya has received legislation passed by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate a referendum on that country's draft constitution.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	191342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 191339 191340 191341 question first answered 22/11/2018 17:44:09 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1006008

registered interest
date	13/11/2018
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 her Department has made of the humanitarian needs of the civilians trapped in Hodeidah, Yemen; and what steps she is taking to help fulfil those needs.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	190927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 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. The impact of the violence around Hodeidah on commercial and humanitarian access is one of the main reasons behind the UN’s warning of the growing risk of further food insecurity in Yemen.</p><p>The UK is supporting the World Food Programme (WFP) with £35 million to respond to urgent food needs in Yemen this year. This funding will provide enough cash transfers and food vouchers to meet the immediate food needs of 4 million Yemenis. In addition, UK funding this year has helped WFP pre-position enough supplies to feed more than a million families for a month, as well as over a million litres of fuel to support hospitals and clean water facilities in Hodeidah governorate.</p><p>UK aid partners continue to deliver life-saving support on the ground as part of our £170 million response in Yemen this year, including cash transfers to 21,000 people displaced from Hodeidah, as well as 75,000 litres of clean water a day. Efforts are now focused on scaling up lifesaving activities within the humanitarian response.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 19/11/2018 16:59:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1006018

registered interest
date	13/11/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Venezuela: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the answers of 12 November 2018 to Questions 188711 and 188712 on Venezuela, how much money from the public purse has been spent on Venezuelan related aid in the last year.
tabling member constituency	Warley
tabling member printed	John Spellar
uin	190759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>Despite efforts by the UK to urge the Venezuelan Government to accept humanitarian aid, they continue to deny the existence of a humanitarian crisis.</p><p>DFID is supporting the relief effort within the region through partners such as United Nations agencies, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the European Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).</p><p>The European Commission announced a €35m aid package this year of which the UK’s share is approximately 15%. In addition, the UK is a longstanding supporter of the CERF which allocated $26m to the region. The UK is the largest donor to the fund since inception and in 2017 represented 20% of the fund’s total contributions. This year the UK has contributed £55m to the CERF which will support responses to humanitarian needs across the globe, including in response to the Venezuelan crisis. DFID is also ICRC’s second largest donor, providing approximately £63m of core funding per year for ICRC to direct towards priority operations across the globe as they deem appropriate.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 19/11/2018 16:55:04 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

1006108

registered interest
date	13/11/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Global Compact for Migration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contribution the Government plans to make to the Global Compact for Migration.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	190740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK Government is supportive of the UN’s Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, as a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and as a framework to help us deliver our commitments under the sustainable development goals.</p><p>We believe that the final document sets out a better international framework for action and co-operation on migration, whilst importantly respecting a State’s sovereign right to determine its own migration policy. The Compact also contains important commitments and actions to help us tackle human trafficking and people smuggling.</p><p>Moreover, our aim is to use the Compact to further our Migration priorities within multilateral fora. This includes: reducing modern slavery; upholding migrant’s human rights; and addressing irregular migration through improved border management and safer and more productive legal migration.</p><p>We remain committed to working closely with European and Global partners to build on the momentum we have gathered thus far to ensure effective implementation of the Compact.</p><p>We look forward to the formal launch of the Compact in Marrakech this December.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 19/11/2018 16:49:22 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

1006872

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	Foreign Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information she holds on the proportion of gross national income that other G8 member states allocate to official development assistance.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	191317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) publish statistics on official development assistance (ODA) and ODA as a proportion of gross national income from DAC donor countries. The latest preliminary data for 2017 can be accessed with this link: <a href="http://www.oecd.org/development/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-data/ODA-2017-detailed-summary.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.oecd.org/development/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-data/ODA-2017-detailed-summary.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 19/11/2018 17:04:31 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell