Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of including representatives of (a) the Southern Transitional Council; (b) political parties other than the General People’s Congress and (c) tribes in future rounds of UN-mediated peace talks on Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
An inclusive political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and address the humanitarian crisis. It is for the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, to determine the best route to such an inclusive political settlement, including whether, when and how to involve representatives of the South, political parties, tribes, women, youth and civil society. We fully support the efforts of the Special Envoy in this regard. We urge all Yemeni groups to pursue political aspirations through peaceful dialogue and to refrain from violence and inciting violence.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the political situation in Yemen; and whether they support autonomy or separation for south Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict.
The issue of governance arrangements for southern Yemen is ultimately a question for the Yemeni people. The UK position - and that of the UN Security Council – is to support the unity, sovereignty and independence of Yemen. It is likely however that a greater degree of autonomy for all Yemen's regions, including the south, will be required to promote stability, as agreed in the National Dialogue outcomes. We urge all Yemeni groups to pursue political aspirations through peaceful dialogue and to refrain from violence.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of access for medical supplies to north Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Access for vital supplies of medicine, food, and fuel into northern Yemen is crucial, with 70% of the people in humanitarian need in Houthi-held areas in the north of the country.
Since the start of 2018, more than 2,000 metric tonnes of medical supplies have been delivered by dedicated vessels through the port of Hodeidah. Medical supplies are also imported into Red Sea ports on commercial vessels predominantly carrying food or fuel. In the last three months imports through Red Sea ports have increased. Further medical supplies also enter northern Yemen through UN flights into Sana’a airport. So far this year, these flights have been reliable and only one has not taken off as planned. UN agencies additionally import medical supplies through the southern port of Aden; we do not have an exact figure at this time, but they form only a clear minority of the total imports of medical supplies.
The UK has provided £1.3 million to support the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism and speed up the process of clearing commercial vessels entering Yemen. We have also provided over £2 million to the UN to support its air services into Sana’a.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts from other UN Security Council member states on the escalation of tensions in Aden.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We hold regular discussions with our regional and international partners regarding security and political developments in Yemen. The situation in Aden was discussed during the UN Security Council consultations held on 27 February. We are concerned about the recent outbreaks of violence and call upon all parties to engage in dialogue in pursuit of peace and stability in Southern Yemen.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Saudi-led Coalition continues to seek to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen and defend its own southern border against artillery and missile strikes by Houthi forces and those allied to former President Saleh. The conflict sees skirmishes and sporadic fighting in a number of areas in western Yemen, including along the Saudi border, around Midi, north east of Sana'a and in the vicinity of Sirwah. We remain concerned by the ability of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Daesh to exploit ungoverned spaces in Yemen. The conflict has also resulted in security threats to international shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb. Reinstating peace talks remains the top priority: a political solution is the best way to bring stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to find a political solution to end the conflict.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Saudi-led Coalition continues to seek to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen and defend its own southern border against artillery and missile strikes by Houthi forces and those allied to former President Saleh. Sporadic fighting is taking place in western Yemen, including along the Saudi border, around Midi, north east of Sana'a and in the vicinity of Sirwah. We remain concerned by the ability of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Daesh to exploit ungoverned spaces in Yemen. The conflict has also resulted in security threats to international shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb. Restarting peace talks remains the priority: a political solution is the best way to bring stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to find a political solution to end the conflict.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government last raised the humanitarian situation in Yemen with the Foreign Affairs Council; and what actions were agreed on that occasion.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is one of the most serious crises in the world and this is why the UK Government has committed over £100m in humanitarian aid to Yemen for 2016/17. Last year we helped more than 1 million Yemenis with food, medical supplies and clean water.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen was last discussed as a substantive item at the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in February 2015. However, Yemen in general is regularly covered as part of wider discussions on the Southern Neighbourhood at the FAC.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) most recently raised the humanitarian situation in Yemen with members of the FAC during the annual meeting of EU and Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers in July 2016, which immediately followed the formal FAC meeting.
The Council Working Parties regularly discuss Yemen including the severity of the humanitarian situation.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the response to conditions in the southern Yemen city of Taiz.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The people of Taiz are in urgent need of humanitarian supplies. The city continues to experience intense fighting, which is making it extremely difficult for aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance. There are reports that efforts to access the city and provide relief have been consistently blocked by the Houthis over the past month.
The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support UN and NGO partners' efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Taiz city.
On 27 September 2015, the Seretary of State announced an additional £20million for humanitarian assistance to Yemen, bringing our overall contribution for 2015-16 to £75million and making the UK the 4th largest bilateral donor to Yemen crisis