Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Glyn Davies and Justine Greening

Wednesday 18th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to help children affected by the crisis in Syria.

[The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)]

The UK has pledged £800 million in response to the Syria crisis, providing food, medical care and relief items to some of those most affected, including children. That includes the £50 million that I announced at the UN General Assembly for the No Lost Generation initiative, which provides education, psychosocial support and protection for Syrian children affected by the crisis in Syria and the region.

[Glyn Davies]

Children are affected by crises around the world. What measures has my right hon. Friend’s Department taken in Vanuatu, particularly to help children, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam?

[Justine Greening]

Work is already under way to help ensure that around 50,000 children can get back to school quickly. As my hon. Friend will be aware, many people are now in evacuation centres, so I can give him some reassurance that work is already under way.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Glyn Davies and Justine Greening

Wednesday 5th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I can assure the hon. Lady that work on the maternal health millennium development goal means that it is at the centre of what we do, and we put a huge amount of resources into it. In fact, as I set out yesterday in my speech at the south bank centre about early and forced marriage, having a holistic approach to tackling women’s rights, health and education is key.

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

T2. Nothing has undermined popular support for international aid more than the perception that aid has been given to countries too wealthy to need it. What assurance can my right hon. Friend give us that that will not happen in the future?

[Justine Greening]

When we came into government, we had a bilateral programme with 43 countries. We have now targeted that on 28. My hon. Friend will also be aware that I have announced the ending of our financial aid programmes to both South Africa and India.

Overseas Aid (Private Sector Contracts)

Debate between Glyn Davies and Justine Greening

Monday 11th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

It certainly is, and statistically we have seen that that equation absolutely holds. As anybody who has ever been to Harrogate will be aware, it is definitely worth while dropping into Bettys, where people can sample some fantastic Taylors of Harrogate tea.

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

I congratulate the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister on their continuing commitment to standing by our international obligations to United Nations targets. Does the Secretary of State accept that it is crucial to focus on effectiveness, flexibility and value for money in each situation? Does she agree that that will be done sometimes through supporting security and sometimes through humanitarian aid, but always by using the dynamism of the private sector to maximise the long-term impact?

[Justine Greening]

My hon. Friend is right. Even when we are building up core basic services, the innovation of the private sector has a real role to play, and my Department has sought to tap into that. There is a strategic question about what we need to do for ourselves and what expertise we buy in from outside, but there is no doubt a key role for the private sector to play.

UK’s Development Work (Girls and Women)

Debate between Glyn Davies and Justine Greening

Thursday 7th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I was in Pakistan a few weeks ago, and I had the very same discussions that my hon. Friend mentions. Interestingly, much of the work we do for girls in Pakistan is focused on education. We have a huge programme, focused particularly on states such as Punjab, that provides young girls with the chance to go to primary school and then on to secondary school for the very first time. We know statistically that when girls spend more time in school, they are less likely to start a family quite so early. Alongside direct family planning and access to safe family planning, that is one of the best ways of tackling these issues in the long term.

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

All who believe in fairness through gender equality will welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Does my right hon. Friend agree that if we are to maximise the British voice on the international plain, we must focus absolutely on gender mutilation and other abuses here in Britain, as well as on other equality issues such as the continuing wage gender gap?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Glyn Davies and Justine Greening

Tuesday 16th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

17. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the co-ordination of efforts to reduce Government deficits.

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Justine Greening)]

The UK has been actively engaged in G20 discussions. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor attended the G20 summit on 11 and 12 November, which delivered the Seoul action plan and pledged to continue co-ordinated efforts to generate strong, sustainable and balanced growth. In this action plan, the advanced economies committed to

“formulate and implement clear, credible, ambitious and growth-friendly medium-term fiscal consolidation plans in line with the Toronto commitment, differentiated according”—

of course—

“to national circumstances.”

[Glyn Davies]

Bearing in mind reports of continuing threats to some of our EU partners, does the Minister agree that the International Monetary Fund’s recent growth forecasts underline the need for an ambitious and credible strategy for dealing with the budget deficit?

[Justine Greening]

My hon. Friend is right about that. The IMF clearly supported the efforts that the coalition Government have been making both in the emergency Budget and the spending review to get to grips with the terrible fiscal deficit handed over by the previous Government. The OECD also welcomed the balance that we struck in the spending review between not only protecting growth, but tackling debt.