Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Pauline Latham Excerpts
Wednesday 23rd May 2018

(6 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Penny Mordaunt Portrait Penny Mordaunt
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The hon. Gentleman will know that we have had extensive discussions with all UN agencies and partners, as well as core UN bodies. They are making progress. The safeguarding conference will be fundamental in consolidating that progress, but we are also talking with our counterparts in the Ministry of Defence to look at what we can do to help to build capacity in peacekeeping troops before they deploy.

Pauline Latham Portrait Mrs Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con)
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The International Development Committee is looking at this very issue. How can my right hon. Friend be absolutely certain that charities are telling her the truth about what has happened within their organisations, and does she believe that an international register of people working in those bodies would be a good idea?

Penny Mordaunt Portrait Penny Mordaunt
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Absolutely. As well as the assurances we have sought and our oversight of projects and programmes we are contributing to on the ground, there will be other tell-tale signs. For example, if organisations are not reporting incidents or allegations, that is a red light to me that there is something wrong within those organisations. We are still monitoring this situation. We are leading an international donor group that is looking at setting up the precise procedures to which my hon. Friend refers.