Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that the flow of her Department's aid to Yemen is not compromised as a result of military activity in the province of Hudaydah.

The UK government has clearly set out our concerns about the operation on Hodeidah, and have been in close touch with all parties on this. This includes the Prime Minister raising our concerns in a recent call with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Hodeidah and Saleef ports remain open for commercial and humanitarian imports of food, fuel and medical supplies. We continue to engage closely with all parties to prioritise the humanitarian response urging that military operations protect civilians and do not prevent food and fuel from reaching the 8.4 million Yemenis throughout Yemen who are at risk of starvation. We have also been clear that the Houthis must not compromise port facilities and must facilitate access for aid and supplies in the areas they hold.

Last Sunday another missile was intercepted over Riyadh. The UK is providing £1.3 million to help the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial imports into Hodeidah and Saleef ports by giving the Coalition confidence that weapons are not coming in on commercial ships. Alongside this financial support, we have also deployed UK experts to support the inspections of ships in Djibouti, increasing the proportion of physical inspections ten-fold.