Live International Development Questions House of Commons

Good morning and welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the

House of Commons. In happen I work Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn in

parameters questions. The main business today is to debate two

reports, the first on the ground for police forces in England and Wales

and the second on local government finance settlements for English

councils for 2017, 2018. Both could be contentious especially council

financing. There is widespread concern over spending on social care

and the impact it has on the NHS. At 2:30pm the home affairs committee is

holding a hearing about the government decision to stop

receiving an accompanied children from Europe. You can see that on the

website. Join me for a round-up for the day in both Houses of Parliament

at 11pm. In a moment we will have questions to the International

Development Secretary Justine Greening but first some private

business dealing with the middle level bill.

Order. The clerk will proceed to read the title of the private bill

sets down for consideration. Middle level bill, second reading. What

day? Wednesday 1st of March saw. Wednesday 1st of March. Questions

for the Secretary of State for International Development. Question

number one. Secretary Priti Patel. The honourable lady will be aware a

review into arms exports to Saudi Arabia is underway and we cannot

comment on ongoing legal matters. Advice on the criteria and eight of

the Consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria which

assesses whether a country can afford the export. Following the

recommendation made by the International development in

November last year what progress has been made in the proposed arms

transfer may ultimately be used as is the case with Yemen and equipment

supplied to Saudi Arabia? Specifically with regards to the

involvement, it is cross government and we engage across government on

some of the really significant issues associated specifically with

Yemen and that of course is a humanitarian aspect in particular.

Of course there is a case underway right now as I marked in my opening

comments and as a result we cannot comment on this ongoing legal

matters. Given the situation in Saudi Arabia and indeed in China and

other countries doesn't she think I'd rather hypocritical the way we

are carrying on regarding Trump or is that out of order Mr Speaker? As

long as it is about export licences. As my honourable friend just heard

me say very specifically to Saudi Arabia and export licence in this

particular example there is a judicial review under way and we

cannot comment on ongoing legal matters.

Famine looms over the Yemen as the Secretary of State will know. What

is the UK doing to ensure aid is not being impeded by the Saudi led

coalition? I thank you for the question, she may be aware the UK

has specifically not just funded the Yemen appeal, we have led the way in

terms of our own support through the UN and we are the fourth largest

bilateral donor. In terms of working on the ground but also making the

case to the Saudi Arabian authorities, the British government

have made very direct requests and we have been very clear in terms of

the fact they must not impede the access of humanitarian aid and

support. We have been clear with them as well about working with many

of our international partners to monitor the access routes as well in

terms of getting supplies into Yemen which as you know is vital at this

difficult time. On the subject of granting export licences to Saudi

Arabia and other countries is it the case that representations are made

about matters such as civilian categories and breaches of

international humanitarian law? I can assure the Right Honourable

gentleman that we do more than make representations, we do it directly

and we do that directly as I myself have done with the authorities with

specific requests in terms of the situation on the ground. Getting

support to people who need help. The devastating situation in Syria

is appalling, the UN estimates 13.5 million Syrians need humanitarian

assistance. 1.5 million living in siege like conditions and 4.9

million refugees in the region. The UK has been at the forefront of the

international effort in providing support to the region and Syria

directly. I commend that leading effort but with the Secretary of

State assure me that aid is reaching Christian refugees who faced the

jeopardy of sometimes avoiding official camps because of fear of

persecution and for those who do end up in those camps face further

persecution because of their faith? My honourable friend is right to

raise this point, it's an important issue in light of the situation of

migrants and refugees moving so ensuring the safety of refugees and

protecting them from persecution is absolutely at the heart of the UK's

involvement and the support we provide to UK head in Syria but also

the region itself and I assure my honourable friend that everyone we

work with paid particular attention to the welfare and safety when it

comes to monitoring minorities including Christians. I had a

meeting recently, a very helpful meeting with one of the ministers in

the Department about the situation in the no man's land between Georgia

and Syria. I am aware how much the government is doing but could the

secretary of state update us on the humanitarian situation there and

what else is being done? I thank the honourable lady for raising the

appalling situation, it is a devastating situation. She asked

what we are doing, the work is taking place through agencies,

through the partners we work with but also with the Jordanian

government, working with them of course in what is and hostile

terrain and territory to ensure people and children are being

protected and they themselves are getting access to food and water

which quite frankly is a major priority there. Mr Speaker last week

I met a number of Syrian refugees along with the honourable member for

Tooting, guests of Oxfam in Jordan and I know the Secretary of State

was also in Jordan not that long ago. Can she tell us what plans the

government has, notably herself, to continue to support Jordan in their

magnificent effort, a country of 9 million people who have taken 1.5

million Syrian refugees and housed them, what more can we do to help

Jordan? I thank my right honourable friend for her case June and she has

seen it first hand, the remarkable work we see in Jordan. A host

community. They themselves are under great strain and pressure with their

economy in particular but also providing the vital support. So what

more are we going to be doing? We have the brussels conference coming

up and I have been clear, that is why I was in Jordan, about the

additional support we will get to Jordan, not just as the UK but to

the international community, with the World Bank and also to the IMF

and many of the reforms taking place in Jordan itself. The Secretary of

State told my honourable friend from Glasgow North that the department

was actively pursuing the possible use of drones to drop emergency aid

in Syria, can she give the house an update on the progress made since

then? I thank the honourable gentleman for the question, of

course in besieged areas inside Syria we know there are enormous

problems in terms of access to humanitarian aid. Specifically with

regards to drones, we are examining all options for getting aid into

besieged areas in Syria and this includes the possibility of using

drones to directly deliver aid. The government should be congratulated

for being the second biggest donor in the area, second only to the

United States. You can look after more people closer to home than you

can in this country, so what is the Secretary of State doing to

encourage other European countries to match our level of support for

the region? Are honourable friend raises an important point, we are

constantly calling on other donor countries to step up and effectively

pull their finger out and put more money into the international system.

But also by reforming the international system that this

government is leading we are challenging donor countries to be

much more efficient and affected in the way we can distribute aid and

get resources directory to people in country and in the region. Like the

Secretary of State I met thousands of children in Jordan, Lebanon and

Turkey in camps that have played Syria. I have seen etched on their

face the fear they have experienced last in Syria. I welcome the work

which has been done in those countries but is the Secretary of

State not embarrassed our obligations to take 3000

unaccompanied children who fled Syria and are in Europe and this

government has turned their back on them? What I would say to the

honourable gentleman is I to have met hundreds of children and I have

seen the trauma directly and spoken to children directly and heard the

trauma that they have experienced from travelling from Syria into the

neighbouring countries. The honourable gentleman cannot justify

his remarks and say we are not helping those children. On the basis

that we take the wealth of unaccompanied asylum seeking

children more than seriously. We have made clear commitments to those

children and that is what we are doing. We committed to resettle

20,000 Syrian nationals to the syllable vulnerable persons

relocation scheme and 3000 of the most vulnerable children is on top

of being the second largest bilateral donor to Syria and inside

the region. I thank the Secretary of State for the work she is doing but

I actually want to draw attention to a humanitarian crisis which is

happening in the Lake Chad region, around 450,000 children are at risk

of severe acute malnutrition, can the Secretary of State assure me the

government's response to this crisis is purely humanitarian and does she

think the UK is acting in good time? I am sure she meant to refer also to

Syria which is the question on the paper. She probably did and I did

not hear I thank ever speaking about this,

she is right to raise the awful humanitarian situation there. UK aid

is clearly directed and focus in terms of food, water and shelter, to

give protection to the most vulnerable people that need out

life-saving support at this difficult time. UN women is an

important organisation in the global fight to deliver gender equality,

women's rights, and the UK Government provides ?12 million a

year in annual funding support that organisation. Budget day, March the

8th, International women's day. Given 93 countries have made

commitments to the UN Step It Up initiative, will he said that date

is dead by the UK to make its formal commitment to show it is fully

engaged in international action to combat gender inequality? The UK is

a world leader in combating gender inequality. Since 2011, we've seen

over 5 million gills through education thanks the work of the UK.

We seem tempting women have access to modern family planning, we saved

over 100,000 lives, we seem to 6 million women be given better access

to financial services. Gender equality is a key part of what we

do, key part of the government, we continued to deliver on it. In light

of the large number of unaccompanied children remain at risk of

trafficking and exploitation in Europe, and bearing in mind councils

like Lewisham after 23 places but only one has been filled, but the

government reconsider its decision to drop the double schema? She

expresses her concern from some of the most vulnerable children,

including Gilles, who suffered such terrible persecution. The UK of

course is the second-largest donor in region, we can help many more by

helping weather need is most immediate. We must always be careful

to make sure steps taken by the government don't inadvertently

facilitate further traffic in and difficult journeys, we must channel

money to where it can have the most impact and help the most people.

Part of preventing exploitation is to give women family planning

services, so will he condemn John's gag reel? The UK is a global leader

in family planning, and the Secretary of State is bringing

together a significant family planning conference which the UK

need to ensure that where we are need to ensure that where we are

able to help people lead better able to help people lead better

lives to deliver economic growth, and to empower women, we continue to

be a global leader in that space, that is what we need to do and of

course we always have two adopted the decisions made by our

international leaders. Despite the leading role which the former Prime

Minister played, there has been slow progress domestically. Can the

Secretary of State update the how is our progress of implementing these

goals across government departments? I thank her for her question. The

global goals are absolutely embedded, not just in terms of what

it does, but across government. I may have mentioned Bloomsday in

other questions as well but we are in the process of revising every

single departmental plan across government and the global goals will

be recognised in that. The humanitarian situation in South

Sudan is deeply concerning with 4.9 million people who do not have

enough to eat, famine has been declared in the state. We are

monitoring the situation, but we are working to get direct AIDS into

South Sudan in what is a devastating time for the country. -- direct aid.

As well as providing humanitarian assistance, is there any prospect in

building some in a country resilience for the future? This is

an important point that my honourable friend is making. Our

priority is in CAD, it is food assistance and water. We have to

recognise we are also asking others to step up, donors in particular.

But calling on all sides involved in the conflict to end the fighting

because we need long-term medical solutions if we are going to end the

current crisis we are seeing. The famine declared in South Sudan is

that first anywhere in the world for six years. They launched their

report. How is our department responding to this crisis and will

she defined above the aid budget for those in desperate need?

Perceval, if I may say so, Mr Speaker, it is important we

recognise -- first of all. We are seeing for crises around the world,

or famines, an unprecedented time. This is the first time we seen a

situation. I don't see this as an issue about how we spend money

across government departments, this is about how the UK shows global

leadership when it comes to times of humanitarian crisis in the world.

What I can say is the British Government is leading the world

right now, coloured and others to step but saving lives and changing

lives at this critical time -- calling on others. The Anglican

Alliance has a network of churches in South Sudan and can help get aid

to those. I could ask her how she engaging with the Anglican community

in that area? She is right that when it comes the church the Anglican

community, they are present and we are working with full partners

because of the nature of the situation on the ground. Let's be

frank, there is no easy solution in terms of aid access, so we're

working with full partners. It is important to recognise that all

partners and humanitarian workers are doing very difficult to work in

very challenging situations. This House should praise them for what

they are doing. We have been offering assistance was sometime in

the general area, given the problems that have been generated in South

Sudan in the last six months, can the Minister outlined what specific

steps have been taken to get assistance to the people there in

recent months? I can, I can. We have been specific in terms of UK support

for the partner network I've already referred. But also through UK

presence on the ground. Getting direct assistance to people. The

situation is challenging, people are being persecuted, violence is

driving them out of our homes, people are in camps. We're working

to protect civilians and ensure they are within those camps protected and

safeguarded as a result as in receipt of food and shelter.

Prompted by the question, I spoke to Alistair Darling yesterday and we

have a date firmly in the diary for a future meeting. Does he would

agree that Scottish international development organisations, while

often smaller than the English counterpart, can offer as much in

terms of body of money and impact, whilst contributing to the

preservation of public opinion in relation to international

development? What steps will he take to make sure funded programmes are

made more accessible to small the funded international companies based

in Scotland? There are two separate questions, to pay tribute to

Scottish charities. Ranging from major charities to smaller charities

working with the government in the ground. Our department is very much

committed to work with smaller NGOs and civil society organisations to

know more, can do more and care more than bigger organisations.

The Department is continuing to provide support, including budget

support and work we are doing to help develop the economy to make it

to into the future. The Premier of Montserrat told MPs and peers that

he doesn't want his country to be the recipient of aid the generations

to come but he is looking for strategic investment to develop the

tourism industry. Other minister meet with him to discuss some of his

suggestions so they can become once again self-sustaining? As always, Mr

Speaker, ministers from this department are delighted to meet the

Parliamentary colleagues. I'm sure we would be happy to meet and I can

assure her we are looking to invest in long-term economic prospects in

Montserrat. The UN assesses that over 3 million people Kearney

victims of the ongoing in Ukraine. Our particular concern is about the

800,000 people living along the line of contact, suffering continual

violence over the last three years. -- currently. Russian aggression is

there. It is now heightening in the Ukraine. Apart from seeking a

resumption of ceasefire in the east of Ukraine, were the government

committed to providing additional support to the Ukrainian government

to deal with such numbers? The British Government currently provide

support to Ukraine in two ways. Firstly we provide support directly

to the Ukrainian government, but secondly, through the International

committee of the red is, through people in need, we provide

humanitarian assistance, but we must be clear this conflict in the

Ukraine was caused by Anna stained Russian aggression. -- and sustain.

At the world is facing crisis, Pato South Sudan -- Pato South Sudan

facing famine. I have announced new packages of support. UK's message is

clear, we have to act now help innocent people starving to death.

Can she be more specific to measures she is taking to help the potential

crisis developing in Somalia, South Sudan and other regions?

Specifically, our focus right now is on emergency food and water. That is

where the need is. But we are talking about over woman people in

both countries who are needing urgent support. They are the focus

of our attention right now, and we will make the assessment to see what

additional support we will need to continue to put in.

In recent weeks, they have faced violence perpetrated by the Burnley

's government. Can a minister tell me what steps the government is

taken to ensure that the 95 million budget projects to Burma, how much

will go in assistance for the burn these people? Mr Speaker, we agree

the situation for them is deeply, deeply troubling. We are dealing

with this in different ways, I raise this personally in my last visit to

Burma with the Home Secretary. We have staff access and the areas, we

continue to work with the UN system, but the honourable member is right,

it is vital we get humanitarian access to the population.

A charity based in my constituency is doing great work in Sierra Leone

and powering the women by providing loans. In the run-up to

international women's day, what is the department doing to work on

gender inequality in the developing world? The UK has much to celebrate

when it comes to global leadership and gender inequality, and

international women's day will be another stronger example of that why

we continue to champion the rights of women. And support them in their

economic development and prospects. The UK and Italy have the largest

number of very restrictive tax treaties with African countries,

harming their development. Will the Minister press colleagues to review

these treaties? I did not fully hear the question, but the important

point I heard is that Africa and economic development. The government

is at the forefront of leading the way when it comes to prosperity and

economic development brood UK aid, and we will continue to do exactly

more of that. We are discussing matters affecting some of the most

vulnerable people on the planet, let's have some more order. Like

many members, I visited the Unicef run camp in Jordan were almost

80,000 refugees have settled since being forced from Syria. Overwhelm

only the children I spoke to had aspirations to become doctors,

nurses and scientists. What steps or her department taking to make sure

aid reaches these cams and helps these refugee children get the

education they need? She is right, she is right to raise this issue

because education is crucial in the camps, but also inside the region

itself. In both Jordan and Lebanon, we have helped to support over

200,000 children, had access to education and the UK is leading the

way to enable more and more children to go to school in the region. On

Sunday, the Israeli military issued for the demolition notices in the

occupied area. If this happens tomorrow, it will mark a dramatic

escalation of the demolitions and will compromise the actions there.

Can I as the government to call upon the Israeli authorities to cease...

We are deeply grateful. This is an issue we have discussed a number of

occasions. We remain clear, it is necessary to protect the security of

Israel and ensure legitimate rights the Palestinian people are rejected.

We will work carefully to monitor demolition. The independent

commission is a unique body created to scrutinise the Minister's

department. What assurances can ministers gave that the forthcoming

review... Will be conducted independently? I can assure the

tepid review will be carried out in accordance with the guidance set.

Including all the relevant and appropriate levels.

As we approach fair trade fortnight, what is a secular state doing to

ensure fair trade is at the heart of new trade deals.

What aid is supporting these men and women.

We work of all our partners to ensure a and the protection of the

people is taking place. Questions to the Prime Minister.

Mr Speaker, last year the campaign group Fighting Cuts at the hospital

were due to deliver a strong petition to Downing Street, but they

were turned away at the gates and told, today is not a good day.

Comeback after Thursday. How