Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Saudi Arabian and (b) Emirati counterparts on the two airstrikes on civilian residences in Al Fakher, Al Dhale’e Governorate in Yemen on 24 September; and if he will make it his policy to support an independent investigation into those airstrikes.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian deaths after recent attacks in Amran and Al Dhale’e. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected. We are working with our partners to try and establish exactly what happened. We welcome the Coalition’s referral of both incidents to be investigated by the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT). The UK continues to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to exercise restraint, comply fully with International Humanitarian Law and engage constructively with the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy, which is the only way to end the cycle of violence.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian effect of the recent escalation of military activity in Al-Daleh province, Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UN estimates that 10,000 households have been displaced in Al Dhale this year, with the emergency response reportedly remaining limited and slow across the governorate due to severe access constraints.
The UK is actively raising humanitarian concerns with all parties, calling on them to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451 by facilitating safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian and commercial access.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to support the renewal and strengthening of the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council Group of Eminent Experts to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK voted in favour of the UN Human Rights Council resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent Experts. We welcome the renewal of its mandate, although it is disappointing that a single consensus resolution was not possible. It is important to give the Group more time to fully examine the conflict and to ensure that their conclusions accurately reflect the conduct of all parties.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on Iran's involvement in the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As the Foreign Secretary set out to the House on 25 September 2019, we must see an end to Iran’s interference in Yemen, which has stoked further conflict through support for the Houthi rebels and fuelled the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today. Iran’s provision of weapons to the Houthis is contrary to the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and the UN Security Council embargo on the export of weapons by Iran. We will continue to urge Iran to cease supplying weapons to the Houthis and to start playing a constructive instead of a destructive role in that conflict.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the RUSI and Save the Children report entitled The UK strategy on protection of civilians published on 18 September 2019.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. This is an opportunity to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including research and analysis by governments, international organisations, NGOs and academia. In this context, the recent report by the Royal United Services Institute and Save the Children will inform the review, which we expect to conclude by the end of 2019.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that the review of the UK’s Protection of Civilians Strategy includes (a) the vulnerabilities faced by children in conflict zones, (b) civilian casualty recording and (c) civilian harm-tracking mechanisms.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. The review involves contributions from both the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence. It is an opportunity for the Government to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including work by states, international organisations, civil society and academia, and to consider a wide range of issues, including children in conflict zones, casualty recording and civilian harm-tracking mechanisms. The review will be completed by the end of 2019.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to reverse the declining trend in Official Development Assistance spending on education.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2009 and 2018 DFID’s spend on education doubled from almost £500 million to nearly £1 billion. The Prime Minister has publicly stated that education, particularly girls’ education, is a priority for the UK. He announced £90 million for education in emergencies and protracted crisis including £85 million to Education Cannot Wait at the G7 Summit, and last week the UK announced a £515 million package of support for education, including a £300 million pledge for the new International Finance Facility for Education. In total, these announcements will support 6.3 million girls. Alongside our commitment to the Global Partnership for Education, the UK is now the leading bilateral donor to all three major multilateral education funds and continues to be one of the leading bilateral donors to basic education. At the UN General Assembly last week, the UK has been calling for others to step up and follow our lead.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to help meet Sustainable Development Goal 2 on zero hunger.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK is playing its part in ending hunger and undernutrition through a substantial portfolio of agricultural and other economic development programmes, social safety nets, and humanitarian response interventions; through its bilateral programmes as well as support to multilateral institutions.
Following the UK-hosted Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013, DFID has significantly scaled up its work to prevent and treat malnutrition. Since 2015, we have reached 60 million young children, adolescent girls and women with nutrition services, particularly in the most fragile and conflict-affected regions of the world.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart on an international alliance for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 on hunger.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are discussing opportunities for achieving more effective global interventions to reverse the negative trend on hunger and make progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) in the decade to 2030. This includes the German-initiated proposal for an SDG2 event in 2020, and the Government of Japan’s preparations for the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit.
In August, senior DFID officials met with senior counterparts in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) to consider options for creating alliances on SDG2 alliances, in particular in fragile and conflict-affected geographies and in climate-vulnerable areas.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Nigeria on the closure of humanitarian international NGOs in North-East Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are very concerned that the Nigerian Military has closed the offices of Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps in North East Nigeria. We call on all parties to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including allowing and facilitating the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in need. We have urged the Government of Nigeria to follow due process with the relevant judicial authorities to allow an impartial hearing in accordance with Nigerian Law and to enable the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance.