Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that, in the countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, maternal and childbirth health services are not negatively affected.
Answered by Justine Greening
Ebola has clearly placed a huge strain on the health care system of those countries most affected and the UK is leading the international effort to tackle the disease. However, we recognise that we need to continue to support the health system and mitigate impact on wider health outcomes. The UK is the biggest bilateral donor to Sierra Leone and commenced a major health systems programme in 2012.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the use of chemical weapons by ISIS in Kobani on 21 October 2014.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of reports in the public domain of the use by ISIL in Kobani of industrial chemicals as weapons. We condemn unreservedly all and any use of chemical weapons. Use is a breach of international norms. Any party using chemical weapons should be brought to justice.Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many isolation centres the Government is erecting in West Africa to help tackle the Ebola virus.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK is leading the international response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and has now committed £205 million to tackle the disease, including the delivery of 700 beds in Ebola Treatment Centres to provide treatment for individuals infected with Ebola. £50m of UK funding will support the delivery of Community Care Centres, where people who suspect they might be suffering from the disease can seek swift and accurate diagnosis, isolation if needed, and appropriate care. The UK will fund 200 of these centres as part of our broader approach to tackling the Ebola crisis.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many protection suits the Government plans to provide to West Africa to help tackle the Ebola virus.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK is leading the international response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. The UK is working with partners to ensure that people carrying out critical work to tackle the Ebola virus have the protection suits needed and is procuring suits in line with projections and clinical requirements.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure aid packages are dropped over and are received by the civilians most in need in northern Iraq.
Answered by Justine Greening
The Department for International Development used the expertise and experience of the UK Military, and worked with other international partners including the US, to ensure aid packages reached civilians most in need in Northern Iraq.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure aid packages are not stolen by ISIS in northern Iraq and surrounding regions.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK is doing all it can to minimise the risks of aid being diverted or misused in Iraq. UK funds are channelled through organisations that have a strong track record of delivering humanitarian aid in difficult and dangerous places. We also apply a rigorous process of due diligence, where they must demonstrate clear and accountable governance structures, with transparent and accountable financial procedures. All partners that receive UK funding must also demonstrate full compliance with humanitarian principles.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to meet the commitment made by the G20 heads of state in the final declaration of the Cannes Summit in November 2011 to reduce the average cost of transferring remittances to 5 per cent by 2014; and what assessment she made of the likelihood of the UK meeting this commitment.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK is contributing to the achievement of the 5% target by supporting the development of payments infrastructure, with a focus on digitisation to reduce transaction costs.
We also support piloting and scaling up mobile banking through a Technology Programme for Branchless Banking which is co-funded with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Master Card Foundation and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). As of December 2013, the Programme has helped an estimated 31 million poor people globally to access financial services.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to reduce the cost of sending remittances to Africa.
Answered by Justine Greening
DFID is supporting the development of payments infrastructure, with a focus on digitisation to reduce the cost of sending remittances to developing countries including in Africa.
DFID is also working through the Action Group on Cross Border Remittances to prevent a reduction in competition in UK remittance markets, which could increase sending costs. Information on the Action Group can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/helping-developing-countries-economies-to-grow/supporting-pages/enabling-the-continued-flow-of-remittances
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that particular attention to the most marginalised and people in vulnerable situations is specifically referenced in the language of the targets and goals in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK, through our Troika, have made statements in the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals on the importance of monitoring progress for marginalised groups across the targets and “leaving no one behind” as an overarching principle for the post 2015 framework.
The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.
Asked by: Jim Murphy (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will support proposals to amend the goal on education to provide free, equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK supports a stand-alone education goal in the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all.
The final goal and targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.