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1226162

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	UNRWA: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UNWRA about any additional funding required to meet costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; and what assessment they have made of the decision of the governments of Germany and Italy to increase contributions to that organisation.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL6992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of increasing needs in the region due to the impact COVID-19, including in Palestinian refugee camps and continue to monitor the situation closely. We are currently reviewing options for support to UNRWA and recognise the central role it plays in the region until a just solution is found for refugees. Until that time, we support all efforts to increase funding to UNRWA, including from key partners such as Germany and Italy.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 03/08/2020 11:56:57 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1226202

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Zimbabwe: Humanitarian Situation
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 humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL7032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>The UK is extremely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. Before the onset of COVID-19, Zimbabwe was already facing a humanitarian crisis due to drought, poor government policies and a worsening economy. According to the World Food Programme’s latest estimates, by December more than half the population – 8.6 million Zimbabweans – will be without the food they need. In response, the UK has committed £49m to provide humanitarian food aid and cash transfers, as well as £5m for the UNICEF cholera fund. To date, 448,000 extremely vulnerable people have received food assistance and 100,000 living in urban areas have received cash transfers</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 03/08/2020 11:45:47 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1226245

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Development Aid: Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, is she will take steps to help ensure that the UK continues to focus on combating poverty by ensuring that aid reaches the (a) most vulnerable and (b) those who are more vulnerable because of their faith.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	76706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government works to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable including those who are more vulnerable because of their faith.</p><p>DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.</p><p>The situation of vulnerable communities is taken into account when assessing those most in need of protection and assistance. This includes when a community is being targeted or is otherwise vulnerable because of their faith. We actively consult civil society, including faith-based organisations, to understand how best to support vulnerable groups.</p><p>Vulnerable religious groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.</p><p>On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 27/07/2020 14:24:04 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1226246

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Development Aid: Religion
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 taken to ensure that religious identity is a criterion for the allocation of Official Development Assistance.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	76707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2020 answer text <p>DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.</p><p> </p><p>DFID is committed to working with all its partners, including faith-based organisations, to ensure that the most vulnerable people and groups are prioritised for humanitarian assistance, in line with international humanitarian principles. This includes religious and ethnic groups who are at risk of discrimination and persecution. We work closely with our partners to ensure they are rigorously assessing vulnerability and needs (including those linked with religious identity), ahead of allocating assistance, as well as conducting robust monitoring to ensure that aid is reaching those most in need.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 27/07/2020 14:26:53 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1226271

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has disbursed to multilateral institutions in response to the covid-19 pandemic; and how much of that aid has reached the Global South to date.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	76829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>The UK is playing a leading role in the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic, pledging up to £774 million of UK aid to help developing countries (the 'global south') address the immediate and longer-term impacts of the crisis. Of the £774 million, £220 million has gone to UN agencies in the UN's Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP), such as the World Food Programme and UN Refugee Agency, as well as humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross and international NGOs. DFID is also adapting its programmes across its country network to respond to COVID-19 and address the needs of the most vulnerable, as outlined in the GHRP. This funding will help address urgent needs in vulnerable countries, accelerate progress towards a vaccine, reinforce infection control and help the poorest countries address the economic impact of the crisis.</p><p>On 4 June, the UK hosted the Global Vaccine Summit, where world leaders, foundations, corporations and organisations pledged $8.8 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The UK remains Gavi's largest donor, having pledged £1.65bn for 2021-25 to help strengthen health systems in the global fight against COVID-19 and immunise a further 300 million children in the world's poorest countries against other deadly diseases. We are a leading donor and shareholder to the multilateral development banks, which have announced financial packages totalling more than £200bn. Given the unprecedented high demand for rapid finance, the UK has doubled its pledge from £2.2bn to £4.4 billion to IMF loan resources for concessional lending to low-income and vulnerable developing countries, and pledged up to £150m to the IMF Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust for the poorest countries to receive debt relief on IMF repayments.</p><p>We will continue to work closely with our multilateral partners and fora such as the G7 and G20 to galvanise the global fight against Covid-19 and shape the multilateral response to ensure it addresses the needs of the world's poorest and most vulnerable.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 01/09/2020 13:17:11 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1225950

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Standard Chartered Bank: Hong Kong
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 Standard Chartered Plc endorsement of the Government of China’s proposed security law for Hong Kong on the future of CDC's partnership with that company.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	76089
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government speaks regularly with international financial services firms about a range of issues. It is for individual companies to make their own judgements. We have made our own position very clear on China's proposal to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.</p><p>CDC has a successful partnership with Standard Chartered focused on delivering development impact at scale in Africa and South Asia. For example, during the Ebola crisis CDC’s partnership with Standard Chartered helped provide vital working capital to businesses struggling to pay wages and meet operating expenses when the economy was seizing up.</p><p>Now, during the COVID-19 crisis CDC’s trade and supply chain finance partnerships with Standard Chartered are providing much needed liquidity to businesses in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Being a counter-cyclical investor supporting local businesses during the crisis forms a central element of CDC’s COVID-19 response.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 23/07/2020 10:14:11 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1225951

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Hospitals
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 9 June 2020 to Question 54991 on CDC Group: Hospitals, what the total initial investment value into those hospitals was.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	76090
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>The total initial investment value of these investments was approximately $190 million.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 22/07/2020 15:58:39 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1225952

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Private Equity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the CDC Group has invested via private equity funds in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	76091
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>CDCs invests through Private Equity Funds to provide growth capital to companies in Africa and South Asia to create jobs and transform economies, focussing on the small and mid-size companies that face the biggest financing gap.</p><p>CDC's backing for Fund managers helps promote the adoption of higher Environmental, Social and Governance standards and support the development of self-sustaining local finance markets.</p><p>In the last five years CDC made new investment commitments to private equity funds of:</p><ul><li>2015 - £238m</li><li>2016 - £289m</li><li>2017 - £273m</li><li>2018 - £311m</li><li>2019 - £284m.</li></ul> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 01/09/2020 08:07:58 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1225953

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Tax Havens
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what proportion of CDC's investments in which it owns more that 20 percent are based in tax havens.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	76092
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2020 answer text <p>Wherever possible, CDC invests directly into the country in which an investee company is located. If CDC invests through an intermediate country, it does so only if the country is compliant with international tax transparency standards as monitored by the OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Tax information. CDC publishes the overall tax contribution of its portfolio; the principal countries in which each investee company pays taxes; the place of incorporation; and the legal domicile of each business or collective investment vehicles in which they invest.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 23/07/2020 10:15:48 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1225999

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office plans to maintain the expertise of staff relating to (a) development projects, (b) climate change emergencies and (b) other key policy issues of her Department after the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with her Department.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	75992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2020 answer text <p>Merging the departments will bring together the best of what we do in aid and diplomacy, and create new opportunities for staff. The ambition, vision and expertise of DFID and FCO staff will be at the heart of the new department – taking forward the work of UK aid, which will remain central to our mission.</p><p>We will continue to look at how our aid budget can be spent most effectively in our national interest, including through the Integrated Review – which will inform the priorities of the new Department.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 24/07/2020 13:29:07 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson