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391264

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
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: Children
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 2014 annual report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the number of North Korean children being treated for severe acute malnutrition increased by 38 per cent in 2014; what assessment they have made of the reasons for this; what assessment they have made of the percentage of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s budget used for the health and wellbeing of children; and what information they have about how the government of North Korea is addressing the issue.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2015 answer text <p>The UN’s Needs and Priorities report for 2015 states that approximately 70 per cent of the DPRK population are food insecure and highly vulnerable to shortages in food production, which “is hampered by a lack of agricultural inputs, such as soybean seeds, fertilizer and plastic sheets”. It lists the chronic malnutrition (stunting) rate amongst children under-five as 27.9 per cent (about 540,000) and the acutely malnourished (wasting) rate as four per cent of children under-five (about 90,000).</p><p> </p><p>During the Third Session of the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly held on 9 April 2015, the DPRK announced an overall increase in state budget of 5.5% (from 2014 figures), although no specific details regarding budget allocation were given.</p><p> </p><p>The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has provided funding to sustain emergency aid operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In 2014 CERF allocated US$ 6.5 million funding to the DPRK, of which the UK contributed 24%. This included support for nutrition and food security.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 03/08/2015 16:21:59 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma attachment 1 file name DPR Korea 2015 Needs and Priorities.pdf title DPR Korea 2015 Needs and Priorities
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

389194

registered interest
date	13/07/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Famine
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to respond to the latest report by the Famine Early Warning System, which highlights the risk of worsening food security.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2015 answer text <p>The Department for International Development monitor the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) reports and updates on a weekly basis. We also contribute to improving the methodology used for these assessments. FEWS produce many reports and cover many regions and countries, although not all of the countries at risk. When the risk of a significant worsening food security situation is reported by FEWS or others, DFID engages in a dialogue with other governments and with our operational partners on the best possible early response.</p><p>In places where we have a comparative advantage, such as countries where we have offices and an on-going bilateral programme, we fund food security, livelihood and nutrition interventions.</p><p>In countries most often at risk we also run resilience and food security programmes aimed at making communities more robust to future deterioration in food security or shocks such as droughts, floods and other natural disasters.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 24/07/2015 13:16:50 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

386464

registered interest
date	30/06/2015
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: International Assistance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UN acts to deliver securely aid to Syria for longer periods of time, and to ensure that such aid reaches more civilians in need, in accordance with UN Security Council Regulations 2165 and 2191.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL959
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2015 answer text <p>The UK co-sponsored Security Council Resolutions 2165 and 2191, enabling the UN to deliver cross-border aid without the consent of the Syrian regime. We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to ensure free, unimpeded access for neutral and impartial humanitarian agencies to provide vital assistance to those in need. We worked hard to mobilise funding from other donors ahead of the third Kuwait Pledging Conference in March, which raised $3.6 billion, and we work alongside the UN to maintain momentum on fundraising longer-term. We also provide long term funding to our partners so they can plan ahead, and encourage on other donors to do the same.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 08/07/2015 15:28:44 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

386465

registered interest
date	30/06/2015
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: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the countries neighbouring Syria to ensure that borders remain open to refugees fleeing conflict and persecution; how many refugees are currently living in those countries; and what further assistance they plan to give those countries to help them deal with refugees.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2015 answer text <p>Syria’s neighbours have been generous in welcoming huge numbers of refugees, but tighter border restrictions are making it increasingly difficult for people to leave Syria. We hold regular discussions with host governments on this issue, and support UN refugee agencies UNHCR and UNRWA in their advocacy. There are over 3.9 million Syrian refugees in the region, including over 1.7 million in Turkey, over 1.1 million in Lebanon, and over 629,000 in Jordan. There are also 560,000 Palestinian refugees registered in Syria and thousands more in neighbouring countries, including many who have fled Syria. Whilst addressing the immediate needs of refugees and vulnerable members of host communities, UK aid is also supporting their longer term resilience and stability through funding to Lebanese and Jordanian municipalities for the running of essential public services, such as education.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 08/07/2015 15:28:42 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

386071

registered interest
date	29/06/2015
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 steps they are taking to ensure the adequate funding of the UN Humanitarian Air Service in South Sudan in order to facilitate access to hard-to-reach areas in the rainy season.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2015 answer text <p>The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan, contributing more than £230m since the start of the crisis (including £60m to the regional response for South Sudanese refugees). This includes funding to the UN Humanitarian Air Service.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 13/07/2015 16:32:55 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

384177

registered interest
date	19/06/2015
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: Droughts
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 drought in North Korea and its potential impact on food supplies in that country.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL665
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2015 answer text <p>According to UN reporting, a prolonged dry spell from mid-April to early June has led to soil moisture deficits, particularly in the central and southern provinces of North Korea, resulting in reductions of the 2015 staple rice crop and adversely affecting yield potential of early-planted crops, including maize and soybeans. A detailed assessment of the crop damage is not yet available, but early official estimates provided by the National Coordinating Committee (NCC), as of 8 June, indicate a severe contraction for rice plantings and large cultivated areas adversely affected by the current dry spell.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 01/07/2015 15:59:17 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381013

registered interest
date	15/06/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Burma: Internally Displaced People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address the continuing humanitarian situation for internally displaced people in Kachin state, Burma.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>Since 2011 we have committed over £17m in humanitarian funding in Kachin and Northern Shan states in Burma which includes food and cash, health services, and water and sanitation to sites for internally displaced people (IDP). We have also provided £5m of humanitarian health programming. We also fund UN agencies for coordination and capacity building around gender based violence, camp management and water and sanitation. Minister of State Rt. Hon. Desmond Swayne TD MP visited Kachin in August 2014 and met with IDPs and camp officials to discuss their situation. DFID’s head of office visited Kachin in June 2015, visiting IDP camps around Laiza and discussing IDP issues with the Kachin Chief Minister.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:19:59 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381014

registered interest
date	15/06/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Burma: Internally Displaced People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that food rations for internally displaced peoples in Kachin state, Burma, are not cut.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>Since 2011 we have committed over £17m in humanitarian funding in Kachin and Northern Shan states in Burma which includes support for food and cash. We are also working with the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) to investigate development work on livelihoods for those displaced by conflict in Kachin State Burma.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:20:47 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381016

registered interest
date	15/06/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Islamic State
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether aid to victims of ISIS qualifies as part of the ring-fenced overseas aid budget; and what capacity the Department for International Development has to support directly the victims of ISIS.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>All UK aid spend meets the OECD Official Development Assistance (ODA) Reporting Directives, including that support provided to those affected by ISIL. To date, the UK has pledged £800 million to support vulnerable people in Syria and the region affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria, including those displaced by ISIL. In Iraq, DFID has provided £59.5 million of humanitarian assistance, as a direct consequence of ISIL’s atrocities. Access to areas held by ISIL is however extremely limited and the majority of UK Aid in Iraq is supporting those who have been displaced by ISIL’s brutality. We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for neutral and impartial humanitarian agencies to provide vital assistance to all those in need.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:22:25 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

350107

registered interest
date	11/06/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Burma: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 10 June (HL125), what is their current estimate of the number of men, women and children in those camps; why that estimate was not given in that Answer; and what is their estimate of the average number of years refugees have been living in the camps on the Burma–Thai border.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL421
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2015 answer text <p>According to latest reports from The Border Consortium (TBC) at the end of December there were 110,094 refugees who had been verified in the TBC database and were living in the camps. According to UNHCR’s refugees profiling report on years of residency, as of 2014: approximately 64% of the refugees have lived in the shelter for less than 10 years. Almost 30% have lived in the shelter between 11-20 years and only 7% have lived in the shelter over 20 years.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 24/06/2015 15:26:20 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool