Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the economic effects of the conflict in Yemen; and what steps she is taking to help people affected by that conflict.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast that Yemen’s economy will contract by 2.2% in 2015 and that Yemen’s debt has risen to over 50% of GDP. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), average wheat flour prices in July are 34% higher than their pre-crisis levels, whilst diesel prices are up 427% over the same period.

DFID has allocated £55 million to support humanitarian response in Yemen which will provide emergency shelter, healthcare, water and food assistance, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the humanitarian response.