Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most acute needs in South Sudan in the coming six months; and what improvements, if any, there have been in the security situation in relation to humanitarian aid and the safe distribution of relief supplies in conflict areas.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK continually assesses the scale of the need in South Sudan, which is beset by severe social, economic, and humanitarian challenges. UN agencies have said that the number of people in need of aid has risen to 7.6 million, and an estimated 4 million people are displaced, including 2 million who have fled to neighbouring countries. Over the next six months, the South Sudanese people will continue to be in dire need of food assistance, safe drinking water, and emergency health and education services.
The security situation continues to deteriorate, with violence perpetrated across the country, including by Government forces, in violation of the unilateral ceasefire declared earlier this year. We have been instrumental in agreeing a tougher approach to deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access by the Government of South Sudan. We ensure UKAid is effective by working through a range of UN and international organisations who are experienced in operating in South Sudan, and who can deliver flexibly according to need.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what financial support they have provided, if any, to the Girls' Education South Sudan programme, including for that organisation's cash transfer system that ensures that girls who are displaced due to violence can continue to receive an education.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is the sole donor to the Girls’ Education South Sudan programme and will contribute £60 million over 5 years. In 2016, we provided £14.1 million for grants to girls and payments to schools.
In 2016 the programme provided cash transfers equivalent to approximately £15 each to 135,000 girls, to help them to remain in school. By the end of the programme we will have supported over 200,000 girls.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number and quality of homes rebuilt following the Nepal earthquake of 2015; which regions of Nepal have benefited from UK humanitarian assistance; and to what extent this assistance has been directed through non-governmental channels.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government of Nepal reports that 29,689 homes have been rebuilt following the 2015 earthquake. We assess the number to have been larger but that many of these need additional work to be resilient to future earthquakes. UK humanitarian support was needs-based. Reconstruction support targeted four of the most affected districts: Dhading, Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Gorkha. Our response was coordinated with the government but channelled through non-government organisations (60%) and multilateral organisations.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have given following the Nepal earthquake of 2015, both directly and through voluntary organisations; and how that compares to assistance given by other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK government is the second largest Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) contributor to the 2015 Nepal earthquake response, after Japan. The UK Government pledged £70m at the June 2015 International Conference for Nepal’s Recovery, which has been followed by a five year £83m reconstruction programme. We provided over 250,000 people with emergency shelter; over 200,000 people with winter including clothes, blankets and mattresses; and over 2000 hours of helicopter operations to reach communities inaccessible by road. Our assistance was provided via humanitarian delivery partners, including the use of volunteers by Voluntary Service Overseas, the Nepal Red Cross and the Nepal Scout Association.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what assistance, if any, they have given to the government of Uganda in its work supporting refugees from South Sudan in the past two years; and to what projects and regions this assistance has been directed.
Answered by Lord Bates
In the last two years, her Majesty’s Government has supported the Government of Uganda in its efforts to host refugees from South Sudan by delivering food or a cash equivalent to 1 million refugees; vaccination and nutritional support to 350,000 children; and clean water for 150,000 refugees.
This support is delivered by UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. Support has been directed to the 12 refugee hosting Districts in Uganda.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what preliminary discussions they have held with British aid agencies and research centres on the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on their work with the poorest developing countries.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government is engaging with stakeholders from every sector of the economy on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and will continue to consult closely with stakeholders to review EU funding schemes.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what preliminary discussions they have held with the European Commission, and with other relevant EU bodies, on the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on (1) the European Development Fund, (2) the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection, and (3) Humanitarian Aid Operations and other aid agencies.
Answered by Lord Bates
While the UK remains an EU member state we will continue to fulfil all the obligations of our membership. This includes taking full part in, and influencing, the EU’s development policies and programmes. The question of the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on those policies and programmes will form a key part of the exit negotiations: the EU will remain an important development partner for the UK.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with respect to Department for International Development funding programmes, what status Kosovo has as a post-conflict state requiring assistance.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Department for International Development does not provide any direct funding support to Kosovo.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much development aid the UK reported to the Development Assistance Committee for the last two years for which figures are available, broken down by (1) humanitarian and development aid, and (2) the most recent estimate of humanitarian aid to Syria; and how this compares with aid provided by (a) the USA, and (b) Russia.
Answered by Lord Bates
The latest available figures published for all donors by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) are for 2013 and 2014. Final data for 2015 will be available by the end of December. The UK has published its 2015 ODA in Statistics on International Development 2016, which includes £258 million for Syria ($394 million, using the Official Exchange Rate conversion published by the World Bank).
(Figures in US dollars, millions, as reported by the DAC) | UK | US | Russia | |||
2013 | 2014 | 2013 | 2014 | 2013 | 2014 | |
Total Official Development Assistance (ODA) | 10,959.773 | 11,838.009 | 27,049.099 | 28,263.415 | Not reported | Not reported |
Of which is humanitarian aid | 1,291.019 | 1,842.209 | 4,887.332 | 6,001.323 | Not reported | Not reported |
Of which is humanitarian aid for Syria | 197.300 | 163.853 | 738.079 | 596.267 | Not reported | Not reported |
Russia is not a member of the DAC but has provided voluntarily its total ODA for 2015, which includes $22 million for Syria. However, a comparison with the UK and US cannot be made at this stage because the DAC has not yet published 2015 data for the UK or US.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they have assessed the effectiveness of the UK's support for HIV programmes in Uganda; and to what extent they are channelling their efforts through evangelical and other churches in that country.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID supports HIV prevention in Uganda through the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. With support from the Fund, Uganda has successfully reduced new HIV infections from 140,000 in 2010 to less than 100,000 in 2014. 2.5% of the Fund’s work in Uganda is channelled through faith based organisations.