Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Chalk Excerpts
Wednesday 9th January 2019

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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As I indicated to the Chair of the Select Committee, we are all extremely concerned about the potential implications of US withdrawal and what it might mean on the Turkish border in relation to Kurdish areas. Humanitarian agencies are very alert to this, but politically we are doing what we can with partners to minimise any risk of confrontation there.

Alex Chalk Portrait Alex Chalk (Cheltenham) (Con)
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What assessment is it possible to make of the number of lives that have been saved in Syria as a result of the historic financial contribution to the aid effort by the United Kingdom?

Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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It is difficult to put full figures on this, to be honest. We believe, as I indicated earlier, that we have provided 27 million food rations, 40 million medical consultations, 10 million relief packages, and 10 million vaccines. If we look at all those whose lives have been protected—the 3.5 million in Turkey, the 1.5 million in Lebanon and the 1 million in Jordan— we can see that United Kingdom aid has played a significant part in that.