Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to support people in developing countries who have disabilities resulting from leprosy.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department is committed to ensuring people with disabilities, including people with leprosy, are routinely and systematically included in UK Aid. We know that we cannot eradicate poverty without reaching people with disabilities. DFID published its first Disability Inclusion Strategy in December 2018. The Strategy clearly sets out DFID’s approach to mainstream disability inclusion across the organisation, with time-bound commitments up until 2023. We also fund the World Health Organization to achieve progress towards their targets on leprosy, and we will continue to support developing countries so that they are better able to detect and treat all causes of ill health, including leprosy.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make representations to his counterparts in developing countries where leprosy is still endemic on increasing (a) funding and (b) personnel for the control of leprosy in conjunction with UK aid.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
A key aim of the UK’s global health work is to support countries build and maintain strong health systems, and universal health coverage, to tackle all causes of ill health, working in close partnership with national governments. We do not plan to have strategies on specific neglected tropical diseases like leprosy.
UK aid is invested in several major neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes, which are focused on building systems to treat and prevent Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, visceral leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, and trachoma. These diseases were identified based on a detailed analysis of the burden of the disease, the UK’s comparative advantage in the area, and the availability and cost effectiveness of treatment and prevention.
In September 2019 in Liverpool, Baroness Sugg launched the UK’s flagship £220m NTDs programme. This programme will provide treatment and care for NTDs to 200 million people. We continue to assess the inclusion of leprosy for each country where we operate NTD programming, taking into consideration the disease burden, other financial support available, and whether leprosy activities can be delivered cost-effectively in conjunction with other activities.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he has plans to undertake a review of the funding allocated by his Department to Marie Stopes International.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Last year I made a new commitment to ending preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children in the developing world by 2030. Prioritising access to healthcare for women and girls, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, is fundamental to this agenda. In this work, we work closely with Marie Stopes International and they are a valued partner. I have no plans to review DFID funding at this point.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what policies his Department has on the provision of funding for the low income indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin in Brazil.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK Government is working with Brazil to help ensure it continues to protect the Amazon and have invested nearly £120 million through the International Climate Fund on projects to limit deforestation, support indigenous people and other forest communities, prevent forest fires and implement the Forest Code in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes.
The UK Embassy in Brazil frequently engages with the Brazilian Government on a number of issues including environment, human rights and development. We have been having positive discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, Human Rights, Foreign Affairs, Brazilian Co-operation Agency (ABC) among others on our policies and programmes.
DFID does not give direct funding to Brazil, focussing instead on a long-term development partnership with Brazil to deliver the Global Goals internationally.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department has allocated funding to Marie Stopes International to fund political advocacy to change laws on abortion in (a) Malawi and (b) South Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID does not currently fund Marie Stopes International to fund political advocacy to change laws on abortion in either South Sudan or Malawi.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the aid budget is used to influence overseas governments to make policy changes.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
UK aid directly and indirectly informs and supports policy changes in partner countries in line with their challenges and priorities and consistent with a focus on eradicating poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This also serves the UK’s national interest.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) information his Department holds on and (b) what estimate his Department has made of the number of abortions in other countries that are funded by development spending in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
DFID has a range of bilateral and multi-country programmes supporting a package of women’s reproductive and maternal health information and family planning services. Because of the integrated nature of this work, it is not possible to provide a break-down of funding on safe abortion services alone. By helping the world’s poorest women access modern contraception, the UK government will prevent an estimated 6 million unintended pregnancies and 3 million abortions on average each year.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what surveys his Department has commissioned in (a) the UK and (b) countries in receipt of Official Development Assistance on his Department's policy of providing support to abortion services overseas.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID’s long-standing policy on safe abortion takes an evidence-based public health approach that aims to reduce death and disability caused by unsafe abortion. The evidence base for this, from World Health Organisation and other sources, is cited in our published position.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224485 on the Alan Guttmacher Institute, in what year her Department most recently verified the accuracy of the illegal abortion statistics provided by the Guttmacher Institute; and what the outcome was of that most recent assessment.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID reviews the Guttmacher Institute’s performance in March each year and, throughout the year, keeping abreast of all publications – including estimations of induced abortions. The Guttmacher Institute has a strong reputation for producing high quality scientific research and data for evidence-based policy. As such, DFID has confidence in their independent estimates.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 221581, in which other countries in receipt of aid from the UK does the UK not provide funding to support the provision of abortion services.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID has a range of bilateral and multi-country programmes supporting a package of women’s reproductive and maternal health information and services. It is not possible to provide a break down by safe abortion or post-abortion care alone. DFID supports provision of safe abortion services as allowed by local laws. Where access to abortion is highly restricted, we can help make the consequences of unsafe abortion more widely understood and can consider supporting policy reform.