Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Neil Parish and Priti Patel(7 years, 7 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Priti Patel
The hon. Lady is right to raise the £357 million that is associated with the Ross Fund, and I thank her for doing so. We spend that on top of the 3% commitment of DFID’s money and budget that we already give through the research review that I launched last year. This speaks to our leadership in the world in tackling health epidemics through the work that we led on Ebola and on Zika, and also on TB. Last Friday was World TB Day. Our investment in universities across the United Kingdom in terms of scientific research and development has shown UK leadership in how we can tackle some of these awful diseases and epidemics and get better prevention of them.
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) (Con)
The Secretary of State for International Development (Priti Patel)
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to avert a famine in Somalia. Our additional £110 million of aid will provide food, water and emergency services for more than 1 million people. I think all Members of this House will recognise that we are witnessing Somalia experience an absolutely devastating famine right now, but UK aid is making an enormous difference.
Neil Parish
I thank the Secretary of State very much for her comments. Up to 3 million people are at risk of starvation in Somalia. It is important not only to get the food in, but to make sure it goes to the people who really need it. I would just like to press her a little bit more on how we can physically get the food to those who most need it.
Priti Patel
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this issue. First and foremost, I would like to commend all the partners and agencies working in Somalia in quite terrible, difficult and harrowing conditions. We work with a range of trusted and experienced partners in a country that is very difficult; there is no doubt about that. I have met many of them, as have my DFID teams and officials in country. Our priority, as I have said, is to get emergency food and water to the people who need it, and we are working with a range of agencies to do exactly that.
Rural Fair Share Campaign
Debate between Neil Parish and Priti Patel
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) (Con)
I present this petition on behalf of the villages and towns of my constituency. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reduce the rural penalty in staged steps by at least 10% by 2020. It is delightful to see that the Secretary of State and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis) are here tonight to deal with the matter.
The Petition of the residents of Tiverton and Honiton.
[P001259]
Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)
I rise to present a petition in the same terms for a number of signatories from the wonderful village of Hatfield Peverel in my beautiful constituency.
The Petition of the residents of Witham, Hatfield Peverel Ward.
[P001261]
Petitions
Debate between Neil Parish and Priti Patel
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) (Con)
I present this petition on behalf of the villages and towns of my constituency. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reduce the rural penalty in staged steps by at least 10% by 2020. It is delightful to see that the Secretary of State and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis) are here tonight to deal with the matter.
The Petition of the residents of Tiverton and Honiton.
[P001259]
Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)
I rise to present a petition in the same terms for a number of signatories from the wonderful village of Hatfield Peverel in my beautiful constituency.
The Petition of the residents of Witham, Hatfield Peverel Ward.
[P001261]