Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Cunningham Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

When I speak to my opposite numbers in other nations, they tell me that one barrier to their making further progress is that they are starting from a low base. It is important that the summit is not just about the UK showcasing what it does; we can learn from other organisations, which is why we are co-hosting it with Kenya. My new role as Minister for Women and Equalities affords me the chance to make a difference in both the UK and the developing world.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

6. What funding her Department has allocated to humanitarian assistance programmes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Harriett Baldwin)]

The UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have acted quickly to support the country and the World Health Organisation in tackling the Ebola outbreak; the Secretary of State today announced an extra £5 million to support the WHO response plan.

[Mr Cunningham]

What are the Government doing to prevent the outbreak from spreading to places such as Kinshasa?

[Harriett Baldwin]

The plan announced by the World Health Organisation involves making sure that we use a new, experimental vaccine that the UK has helped to develop. It is being applied to anyone who has come into contact with Ebola. Yesterday, vaccinations began to be offered to health workers and to anyone who has had contact with a contact.