Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the challenges associated with the equitable and efficient international supply and distribution of a vaccine for covid-19.
Answered by Wendy Morton
On 27 June, the PM told Global Citizen’s international summit that world leaders have a moral duty to ensure that vaccines, treatments and tests are truly available to all. We are working with international partners, including industry, to agree collaborative approaches to supporting vaccine development, manufacturing scale-up and future distribution to meet both domestic and international needs.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to which we have provided £250 million this year, is committed to ensuring that appropriate vaccines are available to populations when and where they are needed, regardless of a country's ability to pay. CEPI selects vaccines for its portfolio based on their potential for success, rapid development and scalability. CEPI negotiates global access requirements as part of its funding agreements.
Through the COVAX partnership, under the Access to Covid Tools (ACT)-Accelerator, CEPI, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization are working together to ensure that the vaccines are affordable and available equitably. As part of this, Gavi’s Advance Market Commitment (AMC) will incentivise vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines and to ensure access for LMICs. The UK has contributed £48 million to the AMC.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of deforestation in the Amazon on trends in the level of malaria throughout the world.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst DFID has not carried out an assessment on a relationship between malaria and Amazonian deforestation, we are at the forefront of international efforts on both issues. On malaria we are the second largest country donor, including our announcement in June 2019 to contribute up to £1.4 billion to the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and this Government has committed to lead efforts towards ending the malaria epidemic. DFID also tackles illegal logging and promotes the sustainable trade in timber, working with companies to eliminate deforestation from supply chains.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations he has made to the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate on changes to the Development Assistance Committee criteria.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK continues to make representations regarding Development Assistance Committee criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The ODA rules enable a broad range of activities to be defined as ODA. They need to continue to evolve as development challenges change and to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2012 the UK has led the way in modernising the rules, securing reforms. We continue to keep scope for improvements under review and actively push for reforms when we consider the rules are out of date.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support he has offered to the Philippine Government for evacuations within the Cavite province.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are closely monitoring the Taal volcano eruption. The Philippine Government is evacuating affected areas and has not requested assistance. The UK Government continues to liaise closely with the Philippine authorities and stands ready to assist should a request be made.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support he has provided to the (a) Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and (b) World Health Organisation to tackle the measles outbreak in that country.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK is a longstanding donor to the health sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, improving health services, including capacity to tackle disease outbreaks. The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing Measles outbreak. We are providing support to the Democratic Republic of the Congo government response through United Nations agencies and Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI).
The UK has ensured a £3.2 million emergency allocation from the UN Humanitarian Fund, mostly going to the World Health Organisation for measles vaccinations and treatment. DFID is the largest contributor to the Humanitarian Fund. As a key core funder of GAVI, the UK is also supporting ongoing immunisation work nationwide, including for measles.
We are continuing to follow progress with the response together with partners, keeping resource requirements to end the outbreak under review.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU with no deal on his Department’s ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 17 in the UK.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Leaving the EU, with or without a deal, will not affect our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. The UK’s first Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the Goals will be published on 26 June. The VNR will review UK action in support of Goal 17. It will also outline key challenges and next steps, recognising that while progress is being made, there is more work to do.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the level of investment necessary for (a) the provision of clean water and sanitation and (b) flood protection to make the island of Bhasan Char habitable by Rohingya refugees.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We have made clear to the Government of Bangladesh that any relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char island must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles. We fully support the UN’s position on relocations to Bhasan Char, which asks the Government of Bangladesh to allow detailed technical and protection assessments to be conducted of the island. The UN are examining the potential requirements, time frames and costs involved in setting up a humanitarian response on Bhasan Char.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Mozambique on that country’s humanitarian needs as a result of Cyclone Idai.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mozambique expressing our condolences and offering our full support. I also spoke to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 28th March, where we discussed needs and I emphasised our continued support. Mozambique has been hardest-hit by Cyclone Idai and the number of displaced people continues to rise, with 136,000 people being sheltered in accommodation centres.
The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million for the three countries affected. UK aid is supporting the delivery of essential relief supplies, including thousands of shelter kits, water filters, and family tents. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Zimbabwe on that country’s humanitarian needs as a result of Cyclone Idai.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Zimbabwe expressing our condolences and offering our full support. The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million to the response across the three countries affected. While the impact of Cyclone Idai has not been as severe in Zimbabwe as in Mozambique, the situation remains serious and 4,500 people have been displaced. In Zimbabwe, UK aid is providing support for health, child protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene in the worst-affected areas. DFID is also supporting the provision of emergency latrines and sanitation equipment. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Malawi on that country’s humanitarian needs after Cyclone Idai.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Malawi expressing our condolences and offering our full support. UK staff on the ground are supporting the response with the Government of Malawi. The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million to the response, including £3.4million to Malawi. In Malawi, our support is providing 65,000 people with emergency shelter, 150,000 people with food assistance, 250,000 with access to clean water and sanitation, and 130,000 people with access to health services. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.