Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to (1) warnings from UNICEF that thousands of malnourished children in Burma are in urgent need of food, clean water, healthcare and other medical care services; and (2) reports that the Burmese army and security forces are enforcing restrictions on humanitarian aid in Rakhine State in Burma.

The UK Government is deeply concerned by the situation in Rakhine and by the restrictions on access for humanitarian aid. Our partners report that they have been unable to treat some 6,400 malnourished children and pregnant women who were suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition in Maungdaw district prior to the attacks on 9 October. The majority of the Rohingya population have not had access to healthcare for seven weeks. The UK Government has repeatedly urged the Government of Burma to allow immediate resumption of humanitarian access. The Government of Burma has now committed to restoring humanitarian access and we will continue to monitor and support the delivery of this commitment. The UK has long been one of the biggest bilateral humanitarian donors to Burma and to Rakhine, including for treatment of child malnutrition in Maungdaw district. Since 2012, we have committed over £23 million in humanitarian assistance, including water, sanitation and nutrition for over 126,000 people. We continue to fund humanitarian assistance to Rohingya people in camps elsewhere in Rakhine State. Some partners funded by the UK Government have been able to provide nutrition assistance to very small numbers in areas affected by the current crisis. We stand ready to provide further assistance as soon as access restrictions are removed.