Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of their overseas aid budget is spent directly on climate mitigation and adaptation; and how much of that is spent or allocated to countries in (1) Africa, (2) the Middle East, and (3) South Asia.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2020 the UK spent over £1.3 billion of Official Development Assistance addressing climate change through multilateral and bilateral channels. Of this at least £224 million of bilateral climate finance was spent in Africa, £2 million in the Middle East (through the "SEED OPTs" programme), and £81 million in South Asia. The UK's main climate programme in the Middle East ("PHENOMENAL") started the following year in 2021. In line with our international obligations our official International Climate Finance figures are reported through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for which 2020 is the most recent year of reporting.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much overseas development assistance funding has been spent on Palestinian schools in the occupied territories which have been (a) demolished and (b) threatened with demolition by Israeli authorities in the last five years .
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As I [Minister of State for the Americas and the Caribbean] said in the House of Commons on 18 July, the UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to international humanitarian law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. On 7 May, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon wrote to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, to express the government's opposition to the demolition of Jubbet Adh Dhib school. Lord Ahmad has also visited a school under threat of demolition in Masafer Yatta during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in January.
The FCDO aid budget is allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. It is not possible to calculate the exact figure for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding spent on schools in the OPTs that have been demolished (or are at risk of demolition) because ODA funding for this area goes into a multilateral pooled fund. However, there is a robust framework in place for allocating ODA. Data on ODA spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is available on DevTracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/countries/PS).
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with his counterpart in Israel on (a) recent and (b) potential future demolitions of Palestinian schools in the occupied territories that are (i) funded and (ii) co-funded by the UK overseas development assistance budget.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As I [Minister of State for the Americas and the Caribbean] said in the House of Commons on 18 July, the UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to international humanitarian law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. On 7 May, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon wrote to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, to express the government's opposition to the demolition of Jubbet Adh Dhib school. Lord Ahmad has also visited a school under threat of demolition in Masafer Yatta during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in January.
The FCDO aid budget is allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. It is not possible to calculate the exact figure for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding spent on schools in the OPTs that have been demolished (or are at risk of demolition) because ODA funding for this area goes into a multilateral pooled fund. However, there is a robust framework in place for allocating ODA. Data on ODA spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is available on DevTracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/countries/PS).
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 24 March 2022 (HL7051), which (1) communities, (2) organisations, and (3) other beneficiaries, they have supported in the Middle-Belt since January 2021 to address the ongoing humanitarian situation in Nigeria.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government remains concerned by the humanitarian situation in Nigeria, and we continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect communities at risk of conflict and crisis, and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of insecurity. For example, our governance programme, PERL (Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn) has been working in Kaduna state for more than five years to promote good governance, accountability and basic service delivery to citizens. In addition, the UK funded Christian Aid and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development to support communities which were displaced due to intercommunal violence in Kaduna State during 2020. This supported more than 15,000 displaced people with cash grants to address food security needs, provision of water and sanitation kits and other non-food items.
As outlined in the United Nations-led Humanitarian Response Plan, the largest humanitarian crisis in Nigeria is concentrated in the North-East. The UK Government's humanitarian support consequently focuses on addressing humanitarian needs in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States and is primarily delivered through our 5-year NENTAD programme (£425 million, 2017-2022). The FCDO publishes information about current funding on the Development Tracker website.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to spend more than £917,516 of aid in the Middle East Region as set out on devtracker in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on non-governmental organisations' (a) programming and (b) levels of in-country staff to deliver programmes in (i) Yemen, (ii) Syria, (iii) the Occupied Palestinian Territories, (iv) Lebanon, (v) Turkey, (vi) Egypt, (vii) Iraq, (viii) Libya and (ix) refugee settlements in Europe.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The FCDO has prioritised our reduced Overseas Development Assistance funding in the Middle East and North Africa so that the UK remains a force for good across the region against the challenging financial climate created by COVID-19. We are prioritising essential humanitarian assistance to those worst affected by conflict and COVID-19, notably in Syria and Yemen. We are continuing to focus on education and getting vulnerable girls into school and will also continue to support conflict resolution and stabilisation, open societies. Alongside our current programmes, we will also begin new programming to tackle climate change.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore overseas aid to Yemen to at least the level of £164 million set in 2019–20.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 March, the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa announced an extra £87 million in UK aid over the course of financial year 2021/22. We have committed over £1 billion in funding to the humanitarian crisis since the conflict began in 2015. The new UK aid pledge will feed an additional 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month, support 400 healthcare clinics and provide clean water for 1.6 million people. We will also provide one-off cash support to 1.5 million of Yemen's poorest households to help them buy food and basic supplies.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2020 to Question 106366 on Overseas Aid, how many of those 29 projects were delivered solely in (a) Bahrain, (b) Saudi Arabia, (c) Kuwait, (d) UAE, and (e) Oman under the Integrated Activity Fund in (i) 2018-19 and (ii) 2019-20.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We do not disclose information related to individual Integrated Activity Fund projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of our Gulf partners.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2020 to Question 106366 on Overseas Aid, how many projects were delivered solely in (a) Bahrain, (b) Saudi Arabia, (c) Kuwait, (d) UAE (e) Oman and (f) Qatar under the Integrated Activity Fund in 2016-17.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
During the 2016/17 financial year the Integrated Activity Fund was managed by the Cabinet Office and detailed information is not held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the College of Policing has received through the Integrated Activity Fund to deliver activities to bodies based in, or working in (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) Bahrain, (c) Kuwait, (d) Oman, (e) Qatar and (f) the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The College of Policing only received Integrated Activity Fund funding for activities in Bahrain. I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of June 19 to question 58024 and 58028.