Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the Rohingya in Bangladesh in the current monsoon season.
Answered by Alistair Burt
In my recent visit to the region, I was able to see for myself the important preparation work our partners were carrying out for the upcoming rainy season.
The UK is working with the Government of Bangladesh and humanitarian partners to improve monsoon preparedness. Around 450,000 people have benefited from support to make their shelters more resilient to heavy rain and high winds. Site improvements such as drainage, protecting pathways, and stabilising steps and bridges to enable access have been undertaken. UK aid is ensuring that 10,000 upgraded shelter kits, 90,000 tarpaulins and ropes, 100,000 blankets and 100,000 floor mats are accessible and can be immediately provided to those in need during the monsoon season. UK-supported cholera, measles and diphtheria vaccination campaigns have also been carried out in readiness.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its support for internally displaced people; and whether her Department plans to take any steps to improve the effectiveness of that support.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID has many programmes which address the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), all of which are subject to regular review of their effectiveness. At a global level, the UK is supportive of the idea of a UN High Level Panel on IDPs to assess the effectiveness of the current response to internal displacement and galvanise further political and operational action. We are discussing this closely with other interested States and UN agencies.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking with foreign governments to help internally displaced people overseas.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to meeting the needs of displaced populations, including internally displaced persons (IDPs). 2018 is the 20th anniversary of the International Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and we hope to see a step up in global attention on this issue. In particular, the UK is supportive of the idea of a UN High Level Panel on IDPs to galvanise political and operational action and we are discussing this closely with other interested States and UN agencies.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has plans to increase the proportion of the Government's international aid budget spent on education in Nigeria.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The education budget in Nigeria is likely to remain around the same proportion as it is currently. The UK is establishing an education in emergencies programme in North-East Nigeria which is supporting delivery of education during the crisis, in addition to the current education portfolio.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the provision of education for the children of Nigeria.
Answered by Rory Stewart
UK supported education programmes are delivering school improvements, addressing barriers that girls face in attending schools, improving teacher development systems and generating evidence on what works to improve learning outcomes for children. They have delivered these services to over 7 million children across 11 states in Nigeria since 2010.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the Government's international aid budget is spent on education in Nigeria.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK spent £30.2 million on education programmes in 2016/17 which represents around 10% of DFID's bilateral support to Nigeria.