Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Duncan Excerpts

Wednesday 31st October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con)]

4. What estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) Israel, (b) Gaza and (c) the remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territories who are in employment; and what assessment she has made of the factors preventing equalisation of employment levels in the region.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)]

In the second quarter of this year, unemployment was 7% in Israel, 28% in Gaza and 17% in the west bank. We support the International Monetary Fund’s recent assessment that Israeli controls on external trade and access to Area C of the west bank are a serious constraint on Palestinian employment levels.

[Mr Turner]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that more needs to be done to persuade Israel to remove the barriers that prevent Palestinians from crossing the border in order to find work, and, indeed, to seize more opportunities to create work in Gaza and the rest of Palestine?

[Mr Duncan]

Yes, we want people and goods to be able to cross borders freely with the minimum constraints necessary to ensure Israel’s security, and we want the Palestinian Authority to be able to exploit its own resources, such as the gas fields off the coast of Gaza, so that the PA can pay its own way and eventually require less support from the international community.

[Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab)]

The crazy economic and employment situation in Gaza is exemplified by the position of its fishing industry. Fishermen are prevented by an Israeli blockade from fishing more than 3 km offshore while, at the same time, fish can be imported through illegal tunnels, yet the indigenous people of Gaza cannot, by and large, afford to buy those fish. Would it not be better to lift the blockade, open the crossings and close the tunnels?

[Mr Duncan]

We are deeply concerned that the situation in Gaza remains dire, with 38% of Gazans living in poverty and 66% depending on food aid. Their ability to fish and exploit their own resources properly within international law is something that we would of course encourage.

[Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend and the previous Secretary of State achieved an enviable record of support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Britain’s reputation in addressing some of the economic issues. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that that support is going to continue?

[Mr Duncan]

Yes, I can give my hon. Friend the assurances he seeks. We work very closely with UNRWA, and I regularly meet Filippo Grande who runs it. I have visited the area with him on many occasions, and look forward to doing so again, while also expressing our support in terms of hard cash for the future.

[Naomi Long (Belfast East) (Alliance)]

The Minister will be aware that water security has huge implications for economic and social development in the region. What specific actions are the UK Government taking to ensure that water is no longer used as a weapon against some of the most vulnerable people in the region?

[Mr Duncan]

We are well aware of the access restrictions to safe drinking water in the west bank and Gaza. The UK Government regularly discuss these issues with Israel, and we continue to call for the full implementation of the relaxation of access restrictions for Gaza that Israel announced in June 2010.

[George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to use its aid budget to support strategic trading alliances between the UK and emerging nations.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)]

The European Union leads on trade negotiations for its member states. DFID considers trade to be a key element to sustainable poverty reduction in developing countries. It helps to generate wealth, create jobs and raise incomes. We work with others to help to strengthen the multilateral trading system, and we provide practical support to enable poor countries to participate more effectively in international trade.

[George Freeman]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Given that the best form of aid is trade, and given the urgent need to rebalance our trade away from the sclerotic eurozone and the potential of our world-class biosciences to tackle food security, does the Minister agree that there is a huge opportunity, through strategic collaborations in agricultural science, to unlock relationships with emerging nations such as India to the benefit of us both?

[Mr Duncan]

The UK’s aid budget is, of course, untied, but technology transfer is an increasingly important part of DFID’s programme. For example, through our AgResults programme, we will harness technological innovation so that we can improve agricultural productivity and food security in some of the world’s poorest countries. Part of the Government’s strategy for life sciences is to export the benefits of our research to the developing world.

[Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for all the work he has done over the years to support the people of Yemen, but he will know that half the people of Yemen are still malnourished. How can we ensure that we give them the capacity to be able to use trade-related skills in order to help themselves?

[Mr Duncan]

We see trade as an important ingredient in all our development activities. I recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s own personal interest in Yemen and can assure him that the UK has been in the lead in garnering international support to raise pledged donor contributions reaching $8 billion. The key now is to ensure that those funds are disbursed honestly and effectively.

[Steve Brine (Winchester) (Con)]

7. What steps she is taking to ensure value for money in her Department.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)]

We estimate that between 2006 and 2010 the total value of European aid programmes on the west bank averaged $1 billion per year. Our funding aims to support the creation of an independent, viable Palestinian state with a flourishing economy. Our assessment is that, over time, such a state would become self-sufficient, and would no longer require aid.

[Mr Denham]

Many of us consider high levels of aid for the west bank to be an essential investment in the peace process, but now that Israeli settlements are making a two-state solution impossible, how will the Government ensure that the Israeli Government rather than European taxpayers pay the costs of the illegal occupation?

[Mr Duncan]

I understand the concept that the right hon. Gentleman has presented, namely that our aid somehow subsidises the occupation. The solution to the problem that he has raised is an enduring peace process that will enable a secure Israel to live alongside a viable Palestinian state, so that aid, compensation or any other such financial support can be rendered less necessary.

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.