To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
South Sudan: Poliomyelitis
Thursday 30th November 2017

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the ability of South Sudan to maintain its vaccine programme after the global polio eradication initiative in that country has been wound down.

Answered by Rory Stewart

South Sudan has been polio free since June 2009. The UK supports the eradication of polio globally through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which has reduced polio cases by more than 99% since its launch in 1988. In preparation for the world to be certified polio-free and the corresponding ending of GPEI funding, GPEI is supporting countries to plan for this transition and ensure that investments made to eradicate polio contribute to future health goals. Given the fragile situation, South Sudan has been selected as one of 16 countries who are receiving additional in-country technical assistance for transition planning and the UK-led Health Pooled Fund, South Sudan’s largest health programme, is improving access to healthcare including routine immunisations for children. For South Sudan to remain polio-free, these efforts are focussing on increasing vaccination coverage and maintaining essential surveillance systems.


Written Question
Iraq: Humanitarian Aid
Wednesday 12th July 2017

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide humanitarian support to (a) all the inhabitants and (b) the children in Mosul once the city has been liberated from Da'esh.

Answered by Alistair Burt

The UK is providing lifesaving assistance to those who have fled fighting in Mosul and we will continue to do so once Mosul is liberated. We are supporting UNICEF to provide water supply facilities in 12 camps for 166,000 displaced people, about half of whom are children. We are funding UNHCR to provide cash assistance for vulnerable displaced Iraqis, allowing them to prioritise what they need most such as food or household items. The UK is also funding the International Organisation for Migration to provide healthcare for Mosul’s citizens, including upgrading four surgical and medical emergency units and supporting ten health facilities in liberated areas of Mosul. The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund which funds projects across Iraq including protection services for children in and around Mosul.


Written Question
Iraq: Humanitarian Aid
Wednesday 12th July 2017

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level for humanitarian support from the international community required for the people of Mosul following that city's recapture from Da'esh.

Answered by Alistair Burt

The UN has just completed an updated assessment of the humanitarian needs in and around Mosul. The UN estimates that the cost of humanitarian assistance, which includes funding to meet basic needs such as shelter, healthcare, education and water facilities, could be up to $450 million. This has been factored into the UN’s 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which puts funding requirements for the whole of Iraq for 2017 at $984.6 million. The UK continues to work with the UN and lobby the international community to ensure that humanitarian partners have sufficient funding to meet the needs of vulnerable Iraqis.

The Department for International Development is monitoring the situation on a daily basis.


Written Question
Yemen: Diesel Fuel
Wednesday 14th December 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

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 within Yemen of diesel oil for the (a) generation of electricity and (b) functioning of water pumps used as wells.

Answered by Rory Stewart

In October 2016, the World Food Programme reported that 39% of Yemen’s estimated fuel needs (including for diesel oil) were imported into Yemen. Although we do not have precise figures, this is likely to have affected the availability of diesel for the generation of electricity and functioning of water pumps as Yemen is dependent on imports for the majority of its fuel needs.

The Department of International Development is providing £1.42 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to speed up the clearance process for shipments of essential fuel and food to Yemen.


Written Question
Yemen: Malnutrition
Wednesday 14th December 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Yemenis who are at risk of malnutrition; and what proportion of those people are children.

Answered by Rory Stewart

According to the recently published UN Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen, almost 4.5 million people are at risk of malnutrition or require treatment or prevention services for malnutrition. Of that number, almost half a million children under 5 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and 2.8 million children and pregnant or lactating women are affected by moderate acute malnutrition.

The UK is providing £19 million to UNICEF this year to treat children with severe acute malnutrition and support mobile health clinics. Last year, we helped treat over 150,000 children under 5 for severe acute malnutrition.


Written Question
Yemen: Armed Conflict
Monday 10th October 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation on the ground in Yemen.

Answered by Rory Stewart

Yemen is one of the most serious and complex humanitarian crises in the world. The United Nations (UN) estimates that 21.2 million people in Yemen require humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs for food, water, sanitation, and healthcare, or protect their fundamental rights. Yemen is also experiencing an economic crisis, which has driven up food and other prices, and reduced people’s purchasing power.

Ultimately, only an end to the conflict will address the humanitarian crisis. The UK is working closely with other countries to de-escalate the conflict and is providing significant support to UN-led peace talks. The UK is also working with the UN and other countries to improve commercial and humanitarian access to and within Yemen.

The Secretary of State recently co-hosted an international event on Yemen to shine a spotlight on the humanitarian crisis. At the event, the UK announced a further £37 million, bringing our total humanitarian support for Yemen to £100 million for 2016/2017.


Written Question
Yemen: Overseas Aid
Monday 10th October 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on increasing the volume of aid delivered on the ground in Yemen in the last six months.

Answered by Rory Stewart

On 21st September, the Secretary of State co-hosted an international event on Yemen at the UN General Assembly to shine a spotlight on the crisis. At the event, donors pledged over $100 million in additional humanitarian funding for Yemen and UN agencies committing to improving the delivery of humanitarian aid on the ground. As of 6 October, the UN Appeal is now 47% funded, up from 32% at the end of August.

The UK is the 4th largest donor to the Yemen crisis. We have so far committed £100 million in humanitarian assistance over the financial year (16/17), with £41.5 million distributed between March and August 2016 for food, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Contracts
Wednesday 11th May 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what criteria her Department uses to determine the award of contracts for projects overseas.

Answered by Desmond Swayne

To determine the award of contracts, tenders are assessed against pre-defined and published evaluation criteria by an evaluation panel with relevant expertise. This assessment follows the EU Public Procurement principle of selecting the ‘most economically advantageous tender’. The evaluation has two main sections - technical evaluation and commercial evaluation.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Contracts
Wednesday 11th May 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what weighting is given to bids made by British companies tendering for contracts from her Department for projects overseas.

Answered by Desmond Swayne

No additional weighting is given to bids made by British companies tendering for contracts for projects overseas.

100% of DFID aid assistance is untied. British companies have proven to be very successful, winning over 85% of contracts awarded by DFID and also competing successfully for contracts from other international development agencies.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Contracts
Wednesday 11th May 2016

Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Charnwood)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's contracts for projects overseas were competitively tendered in each of the last three years.

Answered by Desmond Swayne

90% of contracts awarded during 2013-14, 86% of contracts awarded during 2014-15 and 94% of contracts awarded during 2015-16 were competitively tendered. During this time-frame there were a number of contracts which are not deemed as competitively tendered.

Any programmes not competitively tendered are subject to Procurement management review.