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 question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1196408

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Eritrea: 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 effect of the (a) covid-19 pandemic and (b) ongoing locust infestation in the Horn of Africa on the humanitarian situation in Eritrea.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned about COVID-19 and the desert locust outbreak compounding high humanitarian need already caused by residual effects of war and climate change induced disasters in Eritrea. Limited health infrastructure, limited diagnostic capacity, low levels of sanitation coverage and high pre-existing levels of malnutrition and morbidity, raise the Eritrean population’s vulnerability. The locust outbreak is destroying crops, livelihoods and essential food supplies. The impact of COVID-19 on domestic market supply chains and household food and income sources could also be significant.</p><p>Existing humanitarian and development programmes in Eritrea are being adapted to address current food security challenges. The UK has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £4 million to UNICEF in 2019-20 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services. The UK has provided £7 million to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Emergency Appeal for the locust outbreak, which includes Eritrea. With the UK’s support, the FAO is spraying pesticides on the ground and by air to prevent further damage to crops and livelihoods.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 14:56:37 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196409

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Eritrea: Asylum
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 situation of (a) Eritrean asylum seekers and (b) unaccompanied children who are being turned away from the Ethiopian border.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>Recent changes in the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) asylum policies, alongside the impact of COVID-19, are affecting the ability of Eritreans to acquire refugee status in Ethiopia. The policy changes have seen a reduction in the numbers of Eritreans registering with the GoE and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian agencies are now concerned that many Eritreans, including unaccompanied children, arrive in Ethiopia but do not complete the formal registration processes that facilitate access to lifesaving protection and other forms of assistance. This makes it challenging to assess their humanitarian needs.</p><p>We are not aware that unaccompanied children are being turned away at the Ethiopian border. However, in an effort to limit transmission of COVID-19 GoE asylum personnel are no longer deployed at border crossings, which complicates registration processes for newly arrived asylum seekers. Despite these complications we are encouraged that recent COVID-19 planning documents shared by the GoE stress Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold the right to asylum.</p><p>In Ethiopia, the UK has allocated £22.2 million to COVID-19 activities with urgent support now reaching refugees and other communities across the country. Ongoing UK funded programmes are also being adapted to meet COVID-19 needs, which refugees are also benefitting from.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 15:11:28 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196574

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Department for International Development: Chief Scientific Advisers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings (a) she and (b) her predecessor had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser (i) from 1 September to 30 November 2019 and (ii) from 1 December 2019 to 29 February 2020.
tabling member constituency	Tunbridge Wells
tabling member printed	Greg Clark
uin	48350
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>The DFID Chief Scientific Adviser met with the previous Secretary of State, Alok Sharma, 3 times during the period 1 September to 30 November 2019.</p><p>She also met with the previous Secretary of State Alok Sharma on 4 occasions between 1 December 2019 and 12 February 2020 and with the current Secretary of State, Anne Marie Trevelyan, on 4 occasions between 13 February and 29 February 2020.</p><p>The Chief Scientific Adviser continues to provide all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on DFID science and research activities.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 15:13:58 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark

1196265

registered interest
date	15/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Overseas Development Institute Fellowship Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to continue funding the Overseas Development Institute fellowship scheme.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	47409
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2020 answer text <p>A performance evaluation of the ODI Fellowships Scheme will be completed by November 2020 and its conclusions will inform decisions on future funding.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 26/05/2020 11:23:36 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1196206

registered interest
date	14/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Myanmar: Refugees
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 need for humanitarian aid to support refugees in refugee camps in Myanmar.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	47494
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>There are around 400,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Myanmar, most of whom were displaced by conflict. This includes 130,000 Rohingya IDPs in Rakhine State, around 77,000 Rakhine IDPs in Rakhine and Chin State, around 110,000 IDPs in Kachin and Northern Shan and around 90,000 IDPs South East/Thai border. In addition to conflict, Myanmar is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. In recent years it has experienced displacement as a result of extreme weather events.</p><p>Humanitarian need across Myanmar remains high, especially amongst vulnerable IDP populations. The UN Humanitarian Response Plan 2020 estimates total needs in Myanmar at one million people and $262 million. Key needs include health care, food, shelter, water and sanitation, and protection. Conflict and travel restrictions limit access to IDPs for international agencies in many areas.</p><p>The UK is concerned about the potential impact of COVID-19 on displaced people and on wider conflict affected communities. A serious outbreak of COVID-19 could increase pressure on, and even overwhelm, the already stretched humanitarian system and could reduce access further. The UK has one of the biggest humanitarian programmes in Myanmar working through the UN, International Committee of the Red Cross, international organisations and civil society to respond to needs.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 20/05/2020 14:17:43 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1195474

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Crimes of Violence: Females
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 is taking to ensure that data collated by international development agencies is disaggregated by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) ethnicity to inform responses to support women and girls in vulnerable communities facing a heightened risk of gender-based violence.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	46811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>DFID’s Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan sets out our ambitions to increase the collection and use of disaggregated data, and to work with the United Nations and others to improve disaggregation at a global level. This is critical to understand who is being left behind, why, and how to reach them. Our focus is on disaggregation by sex, age, disability status and geography in the first instance, whilst we work with others in the international system to develop tools to disaggregate by other variables. In the longer term, we will move towards additional disaggregation variables; we expect this to include income, race and ethnicity.</p><p>DFID is investing £6 million to support the UN Women-led flagship programme initiative on gender data – Making Every Woman and Girl Count – and the joint UN Programme on Violence Against Women and Girls data. These programmes are working with developing country governments to improve the production, availability, accessibility and use of quality data and statistics on gender equality and gender-based violence. This includes developing new global standards for measuring violence against older women. The programme is currently supporting rapid assessment surveys focused on understanding gendered impacts of COVID-19 across a number of countries.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 18/05/2020 14:28:42 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1195495

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Frontiir: CDC
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what due diligence was carried out by CDC on the company Frontiir, operating in Myanmar, prior to their investment in that company.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	46670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>In addition to a financial and development impact assessment, when making an investment CDC evaluates a wide range of Environmental and Social (E&amp;S), as well as Business Integrity, risks through a rigorous due diligence process. All of CDC’s investments follow its <a href="https://toolkit.cdcgroup.com/working-with-cdc/code-responsible-investing/?pdf=884" target="_blank">Code of Responsible Investing</a>.</p><p>In the case of CDC’s investment into Frontiir, this included a stand-alone E&amp;S due diligence with the terms of reference explicitly aligned to the CDC Code of Responsible Investing. The methodology included a site visit to Frontiir’s operations and a review of relevant documentation. The scope of the due diligence placed a focus on contextual factors including implications for any disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, indigenous peoples, alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, forced labour/child labour, occupational health and safety and understanding how data security and privacy are handled, including censorship and government disclosure.</p><p>CDC provides further guidance on due diligence in its <a href="https://toolkit.cdcgroup.com/investment-cycle/due-diligence/" target="_blank">ESG Toolkit</a>.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 18/05/2020 13:37:37 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1195496

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Myanmar: CDC
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much CDC has invested in companies operating in Myanmar in each of the last five years; and what the names are of those companies.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	46671
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The amount CDC invested into companies in Myanmar in the each of the last five years is:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>$50,965,888</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>$5,534,404</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>$2,021,605</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>$20,273,679</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The names of companies that received investment in this period are: Shan Orchard, Frontiir Co. Ltd, Solar Home Pte Ltd, MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, Advans Myanmar, Irrawaddy Green Tower Project.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 18/05/2020 13:41:52 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1195497

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Frontiir: CDC
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department routinely assesses CDC investments against her Department's partnership principles; and what assessment her Department has made of CDC's recent investment in Frontiir in Myanmar against those principles.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	46672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The Partnership Principles play an important role in the UK Government’s decision-making process, helping to inform the extent to which we work directly with partner governments in countries where we have a bilateral aid programme.</p><p>CDC invests in private companies to achieve development impact. It does not lend to governments or invest in state owned enterprises. The Partnership Principles do not readily apply when making investments in private companies, however CDC nonetheless ensures that all its investee companies meet high environmental, social and governance standards through their Code of Responsible Investing.</p><p>CDC’s investment into Frontiir followed their <a href="https://toolkit.cdcgroup.com/working-with-cdc/code-responsible-investing/?pdf=884" target="_blank">Code of Responsible Investing</a>.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 18/05/2020 13:43:47 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1195553

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Medical Equipment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with international (a) organisations and (b) multilaterals on international co-ordination mechanisms and strategies to help ensure equitable access to covid-19 medical products and technologies for low and middle income countries in the last month.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	46766
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments, including for low-income countries. The Secretary of State speaks regularly with international and multilateral organisations on these issues, including the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus, the WHO Vaccines Special Envoy, Sir Andrew Witty, and the head of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Dr Seth Berkley, to name a few. Our officials also regularly speak with organisations leading the international response.</p><p>The UK is active in international collaboration and a leading funder for the COVID-19 global response. We co-led the Coronavirus Global Response Initiative event on 4 May, at which 7.4 billion Euros were pledged. The Prime Minister took part by video message, calling for global collaboration to rapidly develop a vaccine, ensuring availability for everyone who needs it. The UK supports the Action for COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. The UK's First Secretary of State participated in its launch by WHO on 24 April. We have committed over £313 million of UK aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the Wellcome Therapeutics Accelerator and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, supporting equitable access to COVID-19 medical technologies.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 19/05/2020 15:53:43 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill