Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the availability within Yemen of diesel oil for the (a) generation of electricity and (b) functioning of water pumps used as wells.

In October 2016, the World Food Programme reported that 39% of Yemen’s estimated fuel needs (including for diesel oil) were imported into Yemen. Although we do not have precise figures, this is likely to have affected the availability of diesel for the generation of electricity and functioning of water pumps as Yemen is dependent on imports for the majority of its fuel needs.

The Department of International Development is providing £1.42 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to speed up the clearance process for shipments of essential fuel and food to Yemen.