Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Bellingham Excerpts
Wednesday 28th October 2015

(9 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Justine Greening Portrait Justine Greening
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The hon. Gentleman is right to raise this forgotten crisis. At the UN in September, I held a discussion with a range of stakeholders, including UN agencies, about how we can do a better job of reaching people in need, but that fundamentally requires a dialogue on how to achieve peace.

Lord Bellingham Portrait Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)
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T5. Given that the Government of Somalia have now taken control of several towns and areas previously occupied by al-Shabaab, does the Secretary of State agree that it is crucial that effective local government services be put in place to win the support of local communities? What further support will DFID provide to support communities in this troubled area?

Justine Greening Portrait Justine Greening
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My hon. Friend is right that, as we hopefully achieve growing political stability in Somalia, we back that up by allowing a more federal approach to government. Indeed, DFID is pulling together programmes that will enable us to support local government to provide the basic services people depend on.