Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which funding proposals were approved (a) in general and (b) for Sri Lanka by the Asian Development Bank in each of the last three years; whether the Government voted in favour of any of those proposals; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The Asian Development Bank considers many hundreds of funding proposals each year. The UK decides on its voting position taking account of development impact and value for money. We are ready to vote in favour of projects where they meet the required standards.
To see a full list of approved Asian Development Bank projects and operations please follow this link: http://www.adb.org/projects. The Asian Development Bank also publishes the minutes of board meetings where funding decisions are taken, which record the position of the Executive Directors. To see the minutes please follow this link:http://www.adb.org/about/board-minutes.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which funding proposals have been approved by the World Bank in each of the last three years; whether the Government voted against any of those proposals; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The World Bank considers many hundreds of funding proposals each year. The UK decides on its voting position taking account of development impact and value for money. We are ready to vote against projects where they do not meet the required standards.
To see a full list of approved World Bank projects and operations please follow this link: http://www.worldbank.org/projects. The World Bank also publishes the minutes of board meetings where funding decisions are taken, which record the position of the Executive Directors. To see the minutes please follow this link: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=986613&pagePK=64272881&piPK=64272902&theSitePK=278036&toDate=sysdate
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage the European Commission and the World Bank to promote road safety in their infrastructure funding; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
Road traffic injuries cost developing countries an estimated 1-2% of their gross national product, equivalent to over US$100 billion annually, with a widening of the disparity between advanced and developing countries. Road accidents kill an estimated 1.3 million people and injure up to 78 million people each year.
DFID is committed to supporting the international community to reach the Sustainable Developments Goals, including Goal 11 which includes improving Road Safety as one of its targets.
DFID recently increased its funding to the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) hosted at the World Bank and will contribute £4.5 million between 2013 and 2017. The GRSF provides funding, knowledge, and technical assistance that lever road safety investments into transport sector programmes.
We also work with the European Commission through the Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund for financing transport projects. Through our role on the Global Road Safety Facility and our work on transport with Multilateral Development Banks we require all such projects to include stronger components on road safety.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to promote steps to tackle HIV/Aids; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
The UK remains firmly committed to the Sustainable Development Goals agreed in New York in September, including the target to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. We are already working towards this goal not only through our substantial support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, but also through our work with UNITAID and the Clinton Health Access Initiative to make testing and treatment more accessible and affordable.
We will continue to concentrate on the critical gaps in reducing new infections, particularly among women and girls and key affected populations while continuing to address the barriers that limit access to treatment. These include strengthening health systems and tackling the broader structural drivers of the HIV epidemic such as stigma and discrimination, and gender inequality.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which funding proposals developed by multilateral development banks her Department voted against in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Multilateral development banks consider many hundreds of funding proposals each year. The UK decides on its voting position taking account of development impact and value for money. We are ready to vote against projects where they do not meet the required standards.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department plans to spend through multilateral development banks in the next three years; how much her Department spent through such banks in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The table below shows DFID’s spend on core contributions to multilateral development banks in the last five financial years.
(£ Thousands)
2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 |
1,128,200 | 1,295,600 | 1,280,100 | 1,473,100 | 1,689,200 |
Spending plans for the next five years will be determined following the outcome of the Spending Review allocation to DFID and the subsequent business planning exercise.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to promote the use of credit unions on the work of her Department; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin) on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to continue to fund UNRWA when the current funding programme ends in 2015; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
UNRWA has a unique mandate to provide essential support for some five million registered Palestinian refugees. Until a lasting political settlement has been reached, UNRWA’s role will remain central to ensuring that Palestinian refugees can access basic services. The UK is the third largest donor to UNRWA, providing long term, predictable support to deliver essential services and supporting UNRWA to make necessary reforms to get the Agency on to a more sustainable financial footing.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is giving to the Yazidi people; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
In August, the UK conducted seven air drops to provide life-saving aid to Yazidi people trapped on Mount Sinjar. Through these airdrops, DFID provided over 80 tonnes of aid, including 9,400 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water, 1,000 solar lanterns, and 1,000 shelter kits for the people stranded on the mountain.
In addition, DFID has provided £17.5 million of funding to UN agencies, NGO partners and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This funding will allow partners to provide basic life-saving assistance, including food, shelter, water, sanitation and medical care. Our aid is reaching displaced people across Iraq, including in the Kurdish region, where many Yazidis have fled to.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what practical support her Department has provided to help women who were kidnapped and subsequently escaped from or were released by Boko Haram to deal with psychosocial trauma; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
In 2014 DFID doubled UK investment in north east Nigeria conflict resolution programmes to make communities safer. DFID’s Nigerian Stability and Reconstruction Programme is providing support to civil society organisations working on conflict management and on violence against women and girls. This includes offering support specifically to victims of sexual violence in Borno State.