Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Gregory Campbell and Baroness Featherstone(10 years, 3 months ago)
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Lynne Featherstone
My right hon. Friend is right to be worried about the food security situation. There are 3.9 million people facing alarming levels of food insecurity, and the UN estimates that up to 50,000 children could die this year from malnutrition. Humanitarian access is impeded, but I can assure the House that the international community is together on this issue, and I press Ministers in South Sudan most strongly to allow humanitarian access. It will depress the House, however, to learn that there is a lack of will from the leaders of South Sudan to care about the people of the country rather than themselves.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)
The Minister said that 1.3 million people have been internally displaced in South Sudan. What steps is she taking to ensure that whatever assistance we can make available there is being specifically targeted at helping that very large number of at-risk people?
Lynne Featherstone
I flew up to Ganyiel myself to see the internally displaced people. They are being accommodated although there is an issue between the host community and the IDPs. We have given £12.5 million to those refugees who have gone to the region, and we work with international partners to ensure that food and assistance reach them.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Gregory Campbell and Baroness Featherstone(10 years, 5 months ago)
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Lynne Featherstone
The hon. Member is absolutely right. We are particularly concerned by the restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and expression, and by the large number of arbitrary detentions. However, this is an FCO lead, so we do not make those particular representations.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)
The Minister has indicated that we do not have an aid programme with Thailand, but are the Government reviewing aid programmes in the general region, as they may be affected by the coup in Thailand and people moving from Thailand across the border?
Lynne Featherstone
We obviously keep a watching brief on the region, and in fact at the moment it is the other way round, because some funding from our Burmese programme is supporting the Burmese refugee camps in Thailand. At the moment, from what we can see the coup does not seem to be having any impact outside the country.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Gregory Campbell and Baroness Featherstone(10 years, 10 months ago)
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Lynne Featherstone
I thank my hon. Friend for that contribution, but I do not quite share his position. DFID does not provide funding for political lobbying activities. Save the Children works to save children’s lives and does an extremely good job. It also fights for children’s rights. In pursuing those laudable social aims, of course it engages legitimately with politicians and political processes in the UK and internationally.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)
What progress is being made along with Save the Children in trying to promote literacy skills among young females in many of the nation states where Save the Children operates?
Lynne Featherstone
DFID has a number of great literacy programmes across all states. It works very closely with Save the Children and funds a great many of its projects.