Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of reports of a food crisis in Chin State, Burma; and what food support her Department is providing in that region.
Answered by Alan Duncan
DFID has contributed to a food security programme in Chin State through the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund which is helping increase agricultural production through activities such as better quality seeds, and also helping farmers get their produce to markets.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy that UK public funds should not be used for the purposes of campaigning for more liberal abortion laws in another country.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
In many countries abortion may be permitted only on limited or highly restricted grounds. In these circumstances, we can consider support to increase awareness among policy-makers, legislators, national health authorities and health personnel of the circumstances under which abortion is allowed. We can also work to highlight the consequences arising from the complications of unsafe abortion, such as the burden of maternal ill-health and high health service costs.
In addition we can also consider support to locally-led efforts to enable legal and policy reform in circumstances where the existing law and policy are contributing to high maternal mortality and morbidity; and to regional or international initiatives that are working to prevent unsafe abortion.