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Written Question
Yemen: Food Supply
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the UN World Food Programme on the decision to pause food distribution in northern Yemen; and whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the adequate supply of food to that region.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

After months of negotiations, in November, the World Food Programme (WFP) made the difficult decision to pause food distributions in the north of Yemen due to Houthi unwillingness to target food aid at the families who need it most. The UK has worked closely with WFP as it made this decision. We support WFP's efforts to ensure aid reaches those most in need and will further support WFP to resume food distributions once an agreement with the Houthi authorities is reached.

Ensuring food security for vulnerable populations in Yemen remains a UK priority. The FCDO's Food Security Safety Net programme will spend up to £250 million over 5 years, aiming to tackle food insecurity by providing cash transfers to up to 1.5 million of Yemen's most food insecure households through funding partners such as WFP, Social Fund for Development, and a consortium of NGOs.


Written Question
Kashmir: Politics and Government
Tuesday 14th March 2023

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the political situation in Kashmir.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK’s long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator. We continue to monitor the situation and encourage both countries to engage in dialogue and find lasting, diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability.


Written Question
Yemen: Food Supply
Thursday 9th March 2023

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the BRIGHTLY consortium implementing the UK's food security programme in Yemen.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The BRIGHTLY consortium will start operating on the ground in April 2023 and has a signed agreement up until December 2026. Working with local and international NGOs, the consortium will support up to 40,000 Yemeni people a month through provision of both cash-based and livelihood programmes. These have been proven to be effective approaches to building resilience and empowering households to escape poverty.


Written Question
FSO Safer
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July to Question 34800, on FSO Safer, whether his Department has committed additional funding to the UN-led oil transfer and salvage of the FSO Safer; and how much of the funding committed has been provided to the UN.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK has committed and disbursed a total of £6 million toward the UN plan to mitigate the environmental and humanitarian risk posed by the FSO Safer. In addition, the UK is coordinating with other donors to support the UN fundraising campaign and has provided technical assistance to the UN throughout the development of their response plan.


Written Question
Yemen: Peace Negotiations
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the peace talks in Yemen; and what steps she is taking to help secure lasting peace in that country.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The UK welcomes the two-month truce in Yemen, brokered by the UN on 1 April, and the creation of a Presidential Leadership Council on 6 April. After over seven long years of conflict, a negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the humanitarian suffering. The UK will continue to use its diplomatic relations and role as penholder on Yemen in the UN Security Council to support efforts towards political dialogue and peace. The UK continues to encourage the conflict parties to engage constructively with UN-led peace efforts.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 17th March 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who sought asylum and refuge in Ukraine are receiving support and assistance to relocate, including those who were recently evacuated from Afghanistan.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK has now pledged £220 million for humanitarian assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs and support the international humanitarian response to the crisis in Ukraine and the region. We have deployed a team of humanitarian experts to the region to provide logistics advice and analysis of the evolving refugee situation and needs. We are also providing financial and technical assistance to partners on the ground, to ensure they are prepared to support those in Ukraine who may need it most.


Written Question
Yemen: Food Aid
Thursday 24th February 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the World Food Project reducing the size of food rations for 8 million people on the health and wellbeing of people affected; and what steps she is taking to mitigate that impact.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The reduction in food assistance to 8 million Yemenis, following reductions in funding to the World Food Programme (WFP), is driving even greater food insecurity in Yemen. The humanitarian response in Yemen has managed to prevent famine, but funds are now close to being exhausted. We are calling on all donors to pledge generously at the 2022 Yemen conference on 16 March so that vital aid programmes can continue, alongside ensuring that UK aid is targeted at those most in need. If the humanitarian response is not adequately funded there is a real prospect that large numbers of Yemenis will not have enough food to eat.

Since the conflict began, the UK has committed over £1 billion and supported the WFP with almost £260 million. Despite the financial pressures at home, the UK remains a leading donor to the UN appeal. This financial year, the UK aid pledge included £25m to the WFP to feed on average 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month.


Written Question
Yemen: Peace Negotiations
Friday 14th January 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential for a ceasefire and peace talks in Yemen.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

A negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. On 10 January I and senior officials hosted UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in London and reiterated UK support for UN led peace efforts to drive forward the political process in Yemen. We urge the parties to engage constructively in negotiations to end the conflict and alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis.
Written Question
Yemen: International Assistance
Thursday 9th December 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has carried out an assessment of the impact of the reduction in international aid to Yemen.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We work closely with partners to understand the impact of UK aid spending, including in Yemen. Our focus remains on protecting and prioritising the most vulnerable and ensuring our aid is delivered in the most effective and efficient way. Our aid to Yemen this financial year is feeding 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month, supporting 400 healthcare clinics and provided clean water for 1.6 million people. We also provided one-off cash support to 1.5 million of Yemen's poorest households to help them buy food and basic supplies.


Written Question
Yemen: International Assistance
Thursday 9th December 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much international aid has been (a) allocated and (b) disbursed to support Yemen during the 2021-22 financial year; and what proportion of the overall aid budget that spending represents.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK has allocated £87 million in aid for Yemen for the financial year 2021-22. As of November 2021, the UK has disbursed 89% (£77.6 million) of this amount. The UK's bilateral aid spending in Yemen represents 0.87% of the total HMG ODA budget of £10 billion for 2021-22.