Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to (a) review the funding strategy for de-mining in Afghanistan through the UN and (b) commit to holding the United Nations Mine Action Service to the same level of scrutiny as de-mining non-governmental organisations.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The current Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Afghanistan runs until the end of March 2021. We are currently reviewing our approach to Mine Action in Afghanistan beyond March 2021.
We remain committed to holding all Mine Action partners to the same level of scrutiny, in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world. UN partners are asked to provide frequent, detailed evidence that demonstrates progress and value for money for the UK taxpayer. UNMAS meets regularly with DFID officials to review results and discuss actions to mitigate programme risks.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to allocate aid to the Maldives to support policy in relation to (a) rising sea levels and (b) human displacement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme related to climate change in the Maldives. Most of our support to the Maldives is provided through multilateral institutions and key climate change funds.
The UK is acutely aware of the unique vulnerabilities that climate change poses to small island developing states, such as the Maldives, and we are actively using our influence in the UN and multilateral development banks to raise their concerns on issues such as natural disasters and climate change.
We are the largest contributor to the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank’s International Development Association, the largest European donor to the Asian Development Fund, and a significant contributor to the Green Environment Facility, which are all helping the most vulnerable countries like the Maldives adapt to climate change, including human displacement and risks related to rising sea levels.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to allocate aid to Kiribati to support policy in relation to (a) rising sea levels and (b) human displacement.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme in Kiribati. Most of our support to Pacific Island Countries (PICs), including Kiribati, is provided through multilateral institutions and key climate change funds, which have a strong presence and deep expertise in the region.
The UK is acutely aware of the unique vulnerabilities that climate change poses to Kiribati and other PICs and we are actively using our influence in the UN and multilateral development banks to raise their concerns on issues such as natural disasters and climate change.
The UK is the largest contributor to the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank’s International Development Association, and the largest European donor to the Asian Development Fund, which have all provided a significant increase in support to the Pacific over recent years. This support is helping the most vulnerable countries like Kiribati adapt to climate change, including to human displacement and risks related to rising sea levels.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the role of (a) Gavi and (b) Nutrition for Growth in helping to end preventable child deaths by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK’s ambition to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030 is supported by our commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and addressing malnutrition through Nutrition for Growth.
The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK hosted pledging conference for Gavi on 3-4th June 2020, is an opportunity for the UK to use its global leadership to secure Gavi the funds it needs to reach 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025.
The 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit will be an important opportunity to secure new commitments to nutrition, to set the world on a better track to achieve the Global Goals and to help achieve our ambition of ending preventable deaths by 2030.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make it his policy to allocate funding from the public purse to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s work is critical to the delivery of the UK’s objective to end preventable deaths, having helped save 13 million lives since its inception in 2000. The UK remains deeply committed to supporting this vital work, including through the provision of significant funding to Gavi and hosting the upcoming replenishment event in June 2020.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has held with his international counterparts to ensure that universal health coverage is central to the replenishment period and strategy review with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Achieving universal health coverage is a UK priority and an overarching goal for DFID’s contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries.
The UK is proud to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment Conference on 3-4th June, to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025. The UK’s commitment to Gavi is central to our work to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030.
In its next strategic period, Gavi is committed to reaching every child with essential vaccines, to improve intra-country equity and coverage. Immunisation is often a child’s first point of contact with their health service. By extending routine immunisation to reach the underserved, particularly zero-dose children who have never been vaccinated, Gavi is building a foundation for universal health coverage.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of official development assistance spent in the least developed countries.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
UK aid aims to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s objectives as set out in the 2015 UK Aid Strategy. As such, the UK focuses most of its aid spending on countries with the highest need; in low-income, fragile, and conflict-affected regions. Some assistance is provided to middle-income countries where there are still enduring high levels of poverty. These countries may no longer need grant aid, but may require assistance in other ways, such as technical expertise or help raising their own revenue to reduce poverty. The 2016 bilateral and multilateral development reviews (available here and here) set out our approach to allocations in more detail.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of bilateral official development assistance spent on education.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Helping poor countries provide 12 years of good quality education, particularly for girls, is a top priority for this Government.
DFID Ministers have approved seven new country education programmes with a total value of £640m in sub-Saharan Africa where education outcomes lag furthest behind, to drive progress on the Sustainable Development Goal for education and meet the commitments in DFID’s 2018 ‘Get Children Learning’ Policy.
In addition, the UK remains a lead donor to the major multilateral education funds the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait – the education in emergencies fund – and has made the leading pledge to the new International Finance Facility for Education which will improve standards and increase education finance in Lower-Middle Income Countries.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to meet the Government commitment that all Departments be graded good or very good for the transparency of their official development assistance spending by 2020.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
DFID continues to provide support to all government departments to improve the transparency of official development assistance spending.
During 2019 DFID commissioned a formal assessment to measure progress towards the Government’s aid transparency commitments. The results of this assessment will be published in December.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that workers receive equal pay regardless of age.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Equality Act 2010 already protects against direct and indirect age discrimination in recruitment and employment, and makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or a job applicant because of their age, unless the employer can justify it as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Anyone who believes that they have been discriminated against on account of their age can seek advice from the Equality Advisory Support Service at http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/app/ask; on Freephone Telephone 0808 800 0082; or, by text phone on 0808 800 0084, in considering whether to seek redress in a court or tribunal.