Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the public purse for each refugee camp has been given in each of the last five years; and on what that funding has been spent in each of those years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID supports refugee camps in many different countries as part of our wider programming to assist those displaced by conflict, persecution and fear. It is not possible to say how much is spent on each individual camp.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to water and sanitation.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Department for International Development is committed to reaching 60 million people with water and sanitation by 2020. As part of the bilateral aid review we have ensured that DFID has concrete plans in place to deliver this commitment. We reached 62.9 million people between 2011 and 2015. We are the largest bilateral donor for basic water and sanitation in low-income countries
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase the proportion of the UK aid budget spent on water and sanitation.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The UK has increased its bilateral spend on water and sanitation year on year since 2004, from £31.2million (2004/05) to £180.8million (2014/15). The Department for International Development does not allocate a set proportion of the aid budget to water and sanitation. The UK Aid strategy commits the UK to helping at least 60 million people get access to water and sanitation by 2020. We will allocate the resources required to achieve this to the relevant programmes.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of UK aid in Syria.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
To date, we have allocated £561 million to support people inside Syria. By May 2016, this had provided 16.3 million food rations; access to clean water for 2 million people; 3.5 million medical consultations; 5.1 million relief packages; and 8.3 million sanitation and hygiene activities.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to widen access to education in developing countries.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Improving access to education and the quality of learning for all children – especially those who are most disadvantaged - is a priority for the Department. The UK supported 11 million children in school between 2010 and 2015. We have again committed to support 11 million children in the poorest countries gain a decent education by 2020. Having children in school and learning enhances economic growth and contributes to better governance, peace and democracy.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the UK's international development capabilities of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Nick Hurd
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will assess the effect on the Nigerian (a) economy and (b) society of (i) Boko Haram and (ii) other terrorist groups.
Answered by Grant Shapps
Terrorist activities from Boko Haram and other groups have killed more than 15,000 people and caused a major humanitarian crisis. There are an estimated 2.2 million internally displaced people, most of them in host communities, putting an additional pressure on what is already a fragile social environment. Around 6.4 million people are in need of humanitarian support due to disruption of food supply, limitation of livelihood activities, and destruction of basic service facilities like health centres or schools. An estimated 600,000 children are out of school.
Boko Haram violent extremism has destroyed the economy in the North East. Local chambers of commerce in the North East report that business activity has dropped by 80% over the past three years. The national economy is also affected. Major trade routes for the Nigerian market and with neighbouring countries have been disrupted. And the need for the Government of Nigeria to spend significant additional resources on emergency response and defence has reduced funds available for economic and social investments.
In response to this crisis, DFID is providing a substantial package of security, development and humanitarian support to Nigeria including a £6.5 million in humanitarian programme and a £5.4 million development portfolio in Yobe state. This is complemented by a £12.1 million funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) for programmes implemented by DFID and other departments to mitigate conflict and enhance security forces capability. During my visit to Nigeria in October, I saw first-hand the interfaith peace clubs supported by DFID to build community cohesion and the excellent work the UK military is doing in training the Nigerian army in the fight against Boko Haram.