Asked by: Zubir Ahmed (Labour - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK's protected bilateral ODA allocation for Palestine is reaching people in Gaza and the West Bank.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I draw the Hon. Member's attention to the Foreign Secretary's statement on 8 September. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to immediately lift restrictions and allow essential aid including medical supplies and fuel to reach those in desperate need, in line with international humanitarian law and as stipulated in the 20-Point Plan. We have protected our budget for Palestine and will be prioritising health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through our integrated humanitarian programmes. We will continue to raise this with the Government of Israel. I saw our work with the Egyptian Red Crescent directly in Egypt last month, including the wider challenges facing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Asked by: Zubir Ahmed (Labour - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help improve humanitarian conditions in fragile and conflict-affected states.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are prioritising our country and regional Official Development Assistance where humanitarian needs are most acute – to reach those in greatest need and reduce the harm caused by violence and atrocities. We expect to spend £1.4 billion a year over the next three years in places facing the highest humanitarian need. We have protected funding for Sudan and Palestine at £146 million and £127 million a year respectively. And we are driving reform of the humanitarian system to be more prioritised, locally led, efficient and effective. This includes a central focus on protection of civilians and humanitarian access.