Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to her Bangladeshi counterpart on the internet ban in Rohingya refugee camps.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Ministers and the British High Commission in Dhaka continue to raise the issue of telecommunications restrictions in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh with representatives of the Government of Bangladesh. The Minister of State for South Asia Lord Ahmad has raised this recently with the Bangladesh High Commissioner.
Restrictions on 3G and 4G communications in the Rohingya camps are hindering COVID-19 preparedness. The first case of a refugee with COVID-19 was confirmed within the refugee camps on May 14th. These restrictions limit the ability of agencies to share information with the refugees and with each other; and for the Rohingya to self-organise. Good communications are critical for preparedness, surveillance, response, delivering critical services, and for maintaining stability in the camps.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support workers in the ready-made garment factories in developing countries who depend on business contracts from fashion firms in the UK and other western nations during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Duddridge
Measures to control the spread of COVID-19 are having a profound impact on global trade and supply chains. We are aware that businesses have been affected by cancelled orders, and the Department is engaging with businesses in the UK and in developing countries to understand the challenges they face with respect to protecting incomes and livelihoods in their supply chains. We are working very closely with other parts of the UK government including the Department for International Trade.
We are also investing in sector analyses to understand the impacts of the crisis on factories, workers and supply chains and we are working with retailers to ensure that there is workplace and hygiene safety in place where factories are continuing to operate.
For example, in Bangladesh, through the Better Jobs in Bangladesh programme, DFID will be supporting around 1000 factories and their workers safely return to work when the factories re-open.
Officials have met with many British businesses in this sector and are working to establish a programme that would protect people working in overseas supply chains, including in these sectors, to ensure that their livelihoods are protected and British people can access the goods they need.
My Ministerial colleagues and I will continue to engage with businesses as we work together to support vulnerable workers in supply chains.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support people in developing countries at risk of falling into poverty as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Wendy Morton
COVID-19 is the biggest threat this country has faced in a generation. And we are not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impacts of this pandemic, to health and economies.
The UK is a global leader in international efforts on the COVID-19 response, having already pledged £744 million in UK aid. This assistance includes immediate life-saving humanitarian and health interventions as well as assistance for countries and populations coping with the economic shock of the pandemic. At the global level we have given an additional contribution of up to £150 million of UK aid to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. This will help to provide Governments with the financial space to support health and social protection responses. We have also doubled our £2.2 billion loan to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust. At the country level we are working with our partners to review and, where necessary, adjust our programmes to support the most vulnerable populations, including preventing the reversal of so many hard-won development gains.
The UK is also using its foreign aid budget and British expertise to stop the spread of COVID-19 internationally, build resilience in vulnerable countries, find a vaccine, new drugs and therapeutics. This is the only long-term solution to the pandemic.
We are helping to prevent the poorest countries – which represent a quarter of the world’s population - from collapse by supporting their economies and access to skills and education. This will help save millions of lives and reduce the risk of future waves of infection, that could come to the UK.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Nigel Adams
DFID is working closely with our partners to ensure the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance. As the second largest donor to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, with £256 million provided since August 2017, the UK is committed to protecting the Rohingya community, among the world’s most vulnerable people. We ensure consistent, in-depth monitoring, including regular field visits, though these are now restricted due to the COVID-19 crisis. We are also actively involved in UN and development partner coordination processes to identify and address issues which are affecting the effectiveness of the response. This includes active engagement with the Government of Bangladesh Inter-sector Coordination Group and individual sectors of the response working on, for example, shelter, nutrition, and reproductive health services.
We work closely with the UN Office for Project Services to maintain oversight of our support on the ground. We recently assisted them to establish an office in Cox’s Bazar, including staff funded by UK aid, to enhance coordination and routine monitoring.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision of (a) treatment, (b) beds and (c) medical facilities in Cox’s Bazaar for people with covid-19.
Answered by Nigel Adams
From the start of the crisis, DFID has worked with partners to help mitigate the impact of the virus on the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar. UK funding is helping to establish isolation and treatment centres to treat severe and critical cases, as well as the delivery of home-based healthcare and monitoring. We are also assisting with the provision of oxygen supplies for the isolation and treatment facilities; and supporting WHO to coordinate the health response with the Government, including surveillance, diagnosis, infection prevention and control, triage, referral, case management, and logistics.
Whilst every effort is being made to prevent transmission in the camps and scale up the health care system, the highly congested conditions and vulnerability of the population will pose major challenges when cases appear and reach peak levels.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the establishment of covid-19 testing and quarantining arrangements for the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
Answered by Nigel Adams
From the start of the COVID-19 crisis, DFID has engaged with the Government of Bangladesh and the humanitarian operation in Cox’s Bazar to support preparedness activities, including the capacity to test, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients. There is now a field laboratory operating in Cox’s Bazar Medical College, though the number of daily tests remains limited.
The UK has provided funds to UN agencies that are responsible for quarantining arrangements. There is a system in place for newly arrived refugees who are required to stay for a period of 14 days in a designated quarantine facility, following a full medical screening.
UK funding will help establish isolation and treatment centres, that are equipped to treat severe and critical cases, and capacity to deliver home-based healthcare and monitoring.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussion he has had with representatives of the Israeli Government on the compliance with international standards of that Government's internal investigations into the killings of Palestinian health workers.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
No health workers anywhere in the world should be at risk of violence, including those assisting Palestinians injured during demonstrations. We regularly raise with the Government of Israel the importance of protecting civilians, including medical personnel, when responding to protests. We welcome the Israeli authorities’ decision to conduct criminal investigations into eleven Palestinian deaths during recent protests and urge these to be transparent and, if wrongdoing is found, for those responsible to be held accountable.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that medical workers in Gaza can perform their humanitarian functions without risk of attack.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
No medical workers anywhere in the world should be at risk of violence, including those assisting Palestinians injured during demonstrations. We regularly raise with the Government of Israel the importance of protecting civilians, including medical personnel, when responding to protests and the importance of adhering to the principles of necessity and proportionality.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure those responsible for attack on humanitarian workers overseas are held to account.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The primary responsibility for prosecuting those who attack humanitarian workers in any context lies with the relevant state authorities. In a conflict context, where the state authorities are unable or unwilling to do this, international accountability mechanisms may be invoked, as appropriate. The UK supports international mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court or ad hoc tribunals acting within their mandates when grave violations of international humanitarian law are suspected, and the state is genuinely unable or unwilling to investigate or prosecute.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What steps her Department is taking to provide long-term support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The challenges for the Rohingya are becoming more protracted. We will ensure that our support reflects this by looking beyond short term, life-saving assistance. Priorities include access to education, skills and livelihood opportunities. We must give the Rohingya the skills they need to create sustainable lives for themselves wherever they are.