Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support her Department is providing to countries in the Global South at risk of acute food insecurity as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is repurposing programmes in agriculture, social protection and humanitarian assistance to tackle the factors driving COVID-19 induced food insecurity. We are a major funder of existing multilateral programmes in these areas, including the recent Food and Agriculture Organisation £7.5 million contribution to fight the locust plague in East Africa. We have committed £15 million to the World Food Programme’s recent urgent appeals. In all of these we continue to put the poorest and most marginalised at the heart of our programmes to address the underlying causes of chronic hunger.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of (i) medical and (ii) sanitation supplies in response to the covid-19 outbreak in Kashmir.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK continues to monitor the response to Covid-19 globally, including in Kashmir. DFID is working with global institutions, including the World Health Organisation, to ensure supplies are directed to those in greatest need.
India and Pakistan, like the rest of the world, faces challenges ensuring sufficient supplies and equipment to medical facilities. We are monitoring information on supplies in both Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support the Government is providing to people in Kashmir to help the region with the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK has so far pledged £744 million to tackle Covid-19 and save lives around the world. This includes £250 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation to rapidly develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the biggest donation of any country.
The World Bank (in which the UK has a significant shareholding) has already made a $6 billion available – including to India and to Pakistan - to support governments to strengthen health systems, including better access to health services to safeguard people from the epidemic, strengthen disease surveillance, and bolster public health interventions.
DFID's programmes in India focus on the lowest income states, which do not include Kashmir. DFID's programmes in Pakistan include support to Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support the Government is providing to the Palestinian authorities in Gaza to help the region prepare for a potential outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19, including the response in Gaza. We are providing additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing £840,000 to the World Health Organisation and UN Children’s Fund to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.
The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of Iranian (i) medical and (ii) sanitation supplies to respond to an outbreak of covid-19 in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Department for International Development and the UK Embassy in Tehran are in close contact with partners in Iran, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the ongoing response in the country to COVID-19. The Iranian health system, like others around the world, has been put under significant pressure by the crisis, which is why we are working with the international community to ensure that Iran receives the humanitarian support it needs: The E3 (the UK, France and Germany) have provided a EUR 5 million package of financial and material assistance to Iran via the WHO and UN bodies to help with the response.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of healthcare facilities in Gaza in respect of the covid-19 outbreak in that area.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19, including the response in Gaza. We are providing additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing £840,000 to the World Health Organisation and UN Children’s Fund to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.
The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to provide support to Gaza to help tackle the outbreak of covid-19 in that area.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19, including the response in Gaza. We are providing additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing £840,000 to the World Health Organisation and UN Children’s Fund to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.
The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare system in Iran.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Department for International Development and the UK Embassy in Tehran are in close contact with partners in Iran, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the ongoing response in the country to COVID-19. The Iranian health system, like others around the world, has been put under significant pressure by the crisis, which is why we are working with the international community to ensure that Iran receives the humanitarian support it needs: The E3 (the UK, France and Germany) have provided a EUR 5 million package of financial and material assistance to Iran via the WHO and UN bodies to help with the response.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of the humanitarian situation in Syria on (a) neighbouring countries, and (b) Lebanon.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Syria conflict has had a significant impact on neighbouring countries, including Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. The UN estimates that since the conflict began in 2011, over 5.5 million Syrians have fled and taken refuge abroad.
The UK recognises the strain this has placed on these countries, and has committed £2.81 billion since the start of the Syria crisis to support both Syria and its neighbours. Our aid provides life-saving support to millions of Syrians, but also supports refugees to remain in countries in the region, whilst supporting these host communities to accommodate them.
Whilst we hope that Syrian refugees will, ultimately, be able to return home, we agree with the UN judgement that conditions in Syria do not currently allow this. It is essential that international law is respected, and that any refugee returns are safe, dignified and voluntary.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of humanitarian access in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is increasingly concerned by constraints on the international humanitarian response in Houthi-controlled areas of northern Yemen. In line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2451, we are calling on all parties to facilitate unhindered access for humanitarian actors and ensure that humanitarian workers are able to conduct their work safely and without harm.
Alongside this, Ministers and Officials continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors to ensure a coordinated approach to improve humanitarian access, that does not jeopardise progress on the peace process.