Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the UN World Food Programme on the decision to pause food distribution in northern Yemen; and whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the adequate supply of food to that region.

After months of negotiations, in November, the World Food Programme (WFP) made the difficult decision to pause food distributions in the north of Yemen due to Houthi unwillingness to target food aid at the families who need it most. The UK has worked closely with WFP as it made this decision. We support WFP's efforts to ensure aid reaches those most in need and will further support WFP to resume food distributions once an agreement with the Houthi authorities is reached.

Ensuring food security for vulnerable populations in Yemen remains a UK priority. The FCDO's Food Security Safety Net programme will spend up to £250 million over 5 years, aiming to tackle food insecurity by providing cash transfers to up to 1.5 million of Yemen's most food insecure households through funding partners such as WFP, Social Fund for Development, and a consortium of NGOs.