Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what arrangements are in place to ensure that House of Lords staff with pre-existing health conditions are protected from COVID-19 if they return to work in the office after the summer recess.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
The Administration continues to work with Public Health England to maintain Parliament’s status as a COVID-19-secure workplace. A risk assessment process has also been put in place to enable the Administration to consider and act on risks to employees who may be returning to the parliamentary estate.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the First Secretary of State to the Chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee on 22 July, whether the decision to reduce the international aid budget by £2.9 billion this year will affect their commitment to maintain the international aid budget at 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income when the Department for International Development is merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
This Government is committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on Official Development Assistance which is enshrined in law. The future funding of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be subject to the conclusions of the upcoming Integrated Review and the Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collect about conditions in refugee camps outside the UK; and what assessment they have made of those conditions.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK does not itself undertake primary data collection on conditions in refugee camps. We are a major supporter of UN High Commission for Refugees, the UN’s refugee agency, which is mandated with the protection of refugees. UNHCR undertakes regular assessments of the standards of living and conditions in camps against a set of standards agreed with partners. The Department for International Development rigorously monitors the performance of UK partners in specific refugee responses, including against information on living conditions in camps compiled and provided by UNHCR.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much financial aid they gave to Yemen in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, and (3) 2018.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK has consistently shown leadership in responding to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the largest in the world.
UK funding is committed on the basis of the financial year. In 2016/17 we contributed £112 million of support, in 2017/18 we contributed £205 million and in 2018/19 we will have contributed £170 million by the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance, if any, they have provided to the victims of the recent mud flow in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Answered by Lord Bates
No requests for assistance from HMG have been received. Our embassy is in contact with local authorities who are doing all that they can to help those affected. Our consulate in Belo Horizonte is in contact with British stakeholders that could provide assistance.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution the UK made to the humanitarian aid delivered by UN aid convoys to Syria at the beginning of March.
Answered by Lord Bates
To date, the UK has committed £2.46 billion in response to the Syria crisis, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. Of this, £491 million has been allocated to United Nations agencies in Syria to deliver humanitarian assistance, including through aid convoys, to Eastern Ghouta and other communities in Syria.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they have made for essential medication to be available to displaced people on their migration journey before they arrive in the UK.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is providing essential medical care to vulnerable migrants and refugees on their journeys towards Europe and beyond. By the end of 2016 for example, UK aid had supported over 300,000 first aid interventions and medical consultations as part of the Mediterranean migration crisis response. We have also been at the forefront of medical relief provision to displaced people in areas affected by conflict. For instance, the UK has helped provide over 10.3 million medical consultations and over 8.3 million vaccines across Syria and the region since 2012.
The UK has also welcomed over 9,300 refugees under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since it began in 2014. All refugees that are referred by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for potential resettlement undergo a Health Assessment in the region. Details are passed to receiving local authorities so they can ensure that suitable treatment can be provided upon arrival.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what aid the UK has provided to Yemen in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID Yemen’s bilateral funding for Yemen over the last five years is as follows:
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what humanitarian aid is being sent to the Syrian villages of Wadi Barada following the bombing and attacks by heavy artillery, rocket bombardment and gun and sniper fire in early January.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is supporting the UN and its partners to provide blankets, sleeping bags and other emergency assistance to those displaced by the fighting in Wadi Barada. The UN are being prevented from delivering support into Wadi Barada itself by the Regime and its allied militia. The UN has called on all sides to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. Once safe access is secured, our humanitarian partners’ priorities will be to respond to food and water shortages and serious medical cases.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much financial aid they have sent to assist those affected by the civil war in Syria in each of the years (1) 2012, (2) 2013, (3) 2014, (4) 2015, and (5) 2016.
Answered by Lord Bates
Since February 2012 DFID has provided almost £1.5 billion in humanitarian support to those affected by the conflict in Syria. This support has helped millions of people inside Syria, and Syrian refugees and their host communities in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. A breakdown of expenditure by calendar year is provided in the table below.
Year | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Total |
Total | £48.7m | £280.4m | £277m | £340.5m | £549.9m | £1,496.5m |
In addition, through the cross government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, DFID has provided £45.7 million (financial years 2012/13 to 2015/16) to support local governance and basic services such as education, water, and electricity in Syria and the region.