:00:00. > :00:08.and Means. I beg to move. As many as are of that opinion say aye, on the
:00:09. > :00:16.contrary, no. The ayes have it. Questions to the Secretary of State
:00:17. > :00:26.for International Development. Number one, Mr Speaker. The UK who
:00:27. > :00:32.research in cutting poverty is more important than ever before. We are
:00:33. > :00:37.demonstrating leadership on this issue. I have been advised of an
:00:38. > :00:46.important matter and I wish to offer a happy birthday to the secretary of
:00:47. > :00:54.state. Even products of a small and innovative company in my
:00:55. > :00:57.constituency are part of a rapid response group. What is the
:00:58. > :01:03.Department doing to encourage even more small businesses and charities
:01:04. > :01:07.to engage with this work? Thank you for your very kind birthday wishes.
:01:08. > :01:11.My honourable friend is absolutely right in the point about small
:01:12. > :01:14.businesses in his constituency and in all of our constituencies. I
:01:15. > :01:17.would like to congratulate the country he has mentioned for the
:01:18. > :01:21.outstanding work they do in development. I am actually leading a
:01:22. > :01:26.review of our suppliers right now and we are changing the way in which
:01:27. > :01:30.we procure and we will ensure there are more UK firms, in particular,
:01:31. > :01:39.that have the opportunity to support UK aid around the world and deliver
:01:40. > :01:45.on our departmental objectives. Can I pay tribute to the work that the
:01:46. > :01:57.Secretary of State is doing in this and in much of sub Saharan sapphic
:01:58. > :02:01.-- Africa people are working with water to challenge drought and we
:02:02. > :02:05.can do more to support them. The challenge that we have across sub
:02:06. > :02:08.Saharan Africa is a drought and water provision and all of the
:02:09. > :02:12.essentials that many of us take for granted and he is quite right that
:02:13. > :02:17.small charities play a crucial role in doing that and delivering that
:02:18. > :02:20.and that is why last week I announced the new small charities
:02:21. > :02:24.challenge fund that will give small charities across the United Kingdom
:02:25. > :02:28.more of an opportunity to access our funds and support to go out and
:02:29. > :02:31.deliver life-saving aid around the world. As we leave the European
:02:32. > :02:37.Union would my right honourable friend agree with me that we have a
:02:38. > :02:42.unique opportunity to help eradicate extreme poverty through free trade
:02:43. > :02:46.opportunities? My honourable friend is absolutely right and, of course,
:02:47. > :02:51.today being a very significant day he is right to raise this issue and
:02:52. > :02:56.we do know, of course, through all of our work, that to move countries
:02:57. > :03:00.to aid in dependency we have to give them empowerment and prosperity are
:03:01. > :03:04.one aspect of that is free trade, along with all of the work that we
:03:05. > :03:06.do in terms of bringing commerce new trading opportunities but education
:03:07. > :03:16.as well to countries around the world. The Ross fund is co-managed
:03:17. > :03:22.by the Department and the Department of Health, what role will that have
:03:23. > :03:26.in priorities around new investment coordination projects across
:03:27. > :03:33.government? The honourable lady is quite right and thank you for
:03:34. > :03:38.raising the ?357 million that is associated with this fund which we
:03:39. > :03:41.spell -- spend on top of the DIFD money that we already give through
:03:42. > :03:45.the research review I launched last year and in terms of what that does,
:03:46. > :03:50.this speaks to our leadership in the world when it comes to tackling
:03:51. > :03:55.health epidemics. Look at the work we lead on a bowler and also these
:03:56. > :03:59.eco-virus and last Friday was world TB Day and it is universities around
:04:00. > :04:05.the United Kingdom where we have been investing and showing
:04:06. > :04:09.leadership in how we can tackle some of these awful diseases and get
:04:10. > :04:19.better prevention of these diseases and epidemics. The UK is at the
:04:20. > :04:25.forefront of international efforts to avert a famine in Somalia. Our
:04:26. > :04:29.additional ?110 million of aid will provide food and water and emergency
:04:30. > :04:33.services for over 1 million people and I think all members of this
:04:34. > :04:36.house will recognise that we are experiencing and witnessing an
:04:37. > :04:40.absolutely devastating famine in Somalia right way -- right now but
:04:41. > :04:45.UK aid is making an enormous different. I thank the Secretary of
:04:46. > :04:48.State for her comments and they're up to 3 million people at risk of
:04:49. > :04:51.starvation in Somalia and it is very important to not only get the food
:04:52. > :04:54.in but make sure that the food goes to those people who really need it.
:04:55. > :04:59.I would like to press her a little more on how we can physically get
:05:00. > :05:02.the food to those who most need it. The honourable gentleman is
:05:03. > :05:07.absolutely right to raise this issue but I think first and foremost I
:05:08. > :05:20.would like to commend all the partners and agencies who are
:05:21. > :05:24.working in Somalia in what are quite terrible and difficult and harrowing
:05:25. > :05:26.conditions. We work with a range of trusted and experienced partners in
:05:27. > :05:28.a very difficult country, there is a very difficult country, there
:05:29. > :05:29.no doubt about that and I have met no doubt about that and I have met
:05:30. > :05:31.and officials as well. Our priority with many of them as have my teens
:05:32. > :05:32.and officials as well. Our priority is to get emergency food and water
:05:33. > :05:37.to the people who need that and we are working with a range of agencies
:05:38. > :05:41.to do exactly that. The crisis in Somalia, East Africa and Yemen is
:05:42. > :05:44.truly appalling and I welcome what the secretary have stared in terms
:05:45. > :05:47.of the UK donation but what are we doing to ensure that other wealthy
:05:48. > :05:51.countries rise to the challenge as well? I thank the honourable
:05:52. > :05:57.gentleman for that remark. He will know that thanks to the generosity
:05:58. > :06:00.of the UK tax payer the East African debt appeal has now reached ?40
:06:01. > :06:04.million and UK aid has contributed to that and rightly so, through the
:06:05. > :06:07.match funding that we do. Others need to do more and I have been
:06:08. > :06:11.unequivocal on the fact that other countries need to pull their finger
:06:12. > :06:16.out. We have led the way in terms of lobbying, making calls and all the
:06:17. > :06:20.ministers across Difd and government as well, FCO ministers and others
:06:21. > :06:23.have been doing exactly that, pressing the wealthy countries to
:06:24. > :06:30.contribute more to these particular famines and step up their own
:06:31. > :06:32.responses. What work is the department doing for the
:06:33. > :06:36.international community to help ensure we are better able to provide
:06:37. > :06:41.a more urgent response and an early response to food crises, to avoid a
:06:42. > :06:45.mass loss of life? The honourable lady is right to raise this point
:06:46. > :06:48.and what we are seeing right now is totally unprecedented. We are seeing
:06:49. > :06:52.the prospect of four famines which were all of us to witness in 2017 is
:06:53. > :06:57.simply horrific but there is more that can be done. What we are doing,
:06:58. > :07:00.the UK, working with others is actually trying to build greater
:07:01. > :07:05.capacity and resilience in these countries as well so we do not reach
:07:06. > :07:08.these crisis points, as we have done so this year, where we are
:07:09. > :07:11.effectively getting international appeals come together and asking and
:07:12. > :07:16.pleading for people to give money. The long-term strategy has to be to
:07:17. > :07:22.build greater resilience which we have seen work in countries such as
:07:23. > :07:26.Ethiopia and Kenya in the past. On March 21 the United Nations
:07:27. > :07:29.agriculture agency further scaled up its activities in drought ridden
:07:30. > :07:33.regions of Somalia and I would like to thank them for the 22 million
:07:34. > :07:37.which was low. I have been getting concerned constituents asking who
:07:38. > :07:44.will be paying back this loan and will it be the United Nations or the
:07:45. > :07:50.Somalians? This is an important point. An issue about funding and
:07:51. > :07:54.resourcing for these crisis appeals, effectively. The UK has stepped up
:07:55. > :07:58.and lead the way and, in fact, it was through the visit that I went
:07:59. > :08:01.to, I went to Somalia six weeks ago and we managed to come been more
:08:02. > :08:06.funds from the UK and we are getting others to do so. We cannot continue
:08:07. > :08:10.to put the debt burden on countries that are struggling and a government
:08:11. > :08:13.that is so new we have to support and continue to support and we have
:08:14. > :08:24.the Somalia conference coming up very soon. Question number three.
:08:25. > :08:27.The humanitarian crisis facing the world in 2017 is unprecedented. The
:08:28. > :08:33.UK's leading the response and stepping up our life-saving support
:08:34. > :08:36.across East Africa. On a recent visit to Kenya and Uganda with the
:08:37. > :08:40.international development committee we met children who had walked up to
:08:41. > :08:43.ten kilometres just to get to school and ten kilometres back and many
:08:44. > :08:47.were lucky if they got one meal a day. At the school we also discussed
:08:48. > :08:55.associated educational and developmental conditions and issues.
:08:56. > :08:59.What information is there about the support of school age programmes? He
:09:00. > :09:04.is right to highlight this and I am glad the select committee saw the
:09:05. > :09:08.strong work that Difd does on partnership with education in Kenya
:09:09. > :09:13.and Uganda. We provide a range of support and through our work that we
:09:14. > :09:17.do we look at all aspects of water, food, and the provision of health
:09:18. > :09:21.care, and how we can support vulnerable households. Can I pay
:09:22. > :09:25.tribute to the many people of Cardiff who have been raising funds
:09:26. > :09:29.for the drought affected areas in Somaliland, including local football
:09:30. > :09:32.teams but I have had worrying concerns from the government of
:09:33. > :09:35.Somaliland another is that some of the aid is not getting through. Can
:09:36. > :09:39.the Secretary of State investigate this?
:09:40. > :09:47.We always have to challenge the system but also the governments and
:09:48. > :09:50.authorities, and he will know in Somaliland specifically there are
:09:51. > :09:54.issues because it's very challenging and difficult to rain. I will always
:09:55. > :09:59.press and be vocal and call those out that are preventing aid access,
:10:00. > :10:03.so I will look into the point he has made. I met with the Ethiopian
:10:04. > :10:08.ambassador yesterday who made the point to me that money is needed
:10:09. > :10:13.desperately at at the same time let's not stereotype East Africa. It
:10:14. > :10:17.is a place of prosperity and a place where Louise torn handbags are made
:10:18. > :10:21.and some of the finest clubs are made as well as a place that
:10:22. > :10:25.requires help in the North. My honourable friend is absolutely
:10:26. > :10:30.right. I saw myself when I went to Ethiopia, I went to one of the
:10:31. > :10:34.industrial parts. Ethiopian is a great success story now in terms of
:10:35. > :10:38.how it has moved from famine and poverty to prosperity. And that's
:10:39. > :10:44.effectively what we want to see more of. I wonder if the Secretary of
:10:45. > :10:48.State is aware of reports that the South Sudanese government is
:10:49. > :10:53.planning to raise the cost of permits from $100 what steps can the
:10:54. > :10:57.Department made to ensure access for aid workers and what success is it
:10:58. > :11:02.having? The honourable gentleman is right to raise this issue, he will
:11:03. > :11:06.not be surprised to hear me say we have been calling the government out
:11:07. > :11:09.on this. Their behaviour has been appalling in putting up fees and the
:11:10. > :11:13.way in which they have been blocking aid access as well and we will
:11:14. > :11:20.continue to apply or pressure to make sure we are tackling these
:11:21. > :11:24.issues. I'm sure the Secretary of State would commend comic relief for
:11:25. > :11:30.raising ?73 million this year. But is she as concerned as I am that
:11:31. > :11:34.they showed a baby dying at 8:30pm before watershed, another baby dying
:11:35. > :11:42.at 9:10pm, and overall the portrayal of Africa is very narrow. They need
:11:43. > :11:45.to review the formula, it is affecting understanding of a
:11:46. > :11:50.complicated continent with 52 countries. I agree with my right
:11:51. > :11:57.honourable friend about the great work of comic relief and the way in
:11:58. > :12:01.which they raised so much money for causes domestic and internationally.
:12:02. > :12:05.I did not see the footage he refers to. As we have touched on already in
:12:06. > :12:10.some exchanges, Africa has a bright future ahead of itself, there is no
:12:11. > :12:13.doubt about that. In terms of population, economic developer and
:12:14. > :12:27.prosperity, and these other things to on. Patrick Grady. Could she
:12:28. > :12:32.explained how helping local partners to develop paid and how this is
:12:33. > :12:40.helping the department make progress towards the target agreed for 25% of
:12:41. > :12:45.humanitarian aid delivered by 2020? This is a very important point and
:12:46. > :12:48.the question he raises. Because of course following the world
:12:49. > :12:52.humanitarian summit we have been leading the charge, working with
:12:53. > :12:55.others in the system as well including Stephen O'Brien in terms
:12:56. > :12:59.of how we can get better efficiency is and improve ways of working and
:13:00. > :13:04.that is crucial. I think the East African crisis has shown how we can
:13:05. > :13:06.deliver aid more effectively. Yes, throughout partnership working, but
:13:07. > :13:15.also reform the ways of working which we need to continually
:13:16. > :13:18.improve. Britain has a proven track record in supporting Afghanistan and
:13:19. > :13:22.a long-term commitment to the future of the country. As my right
:13:23. > :13:26.honourable friend said on Monday we will continue to support Afghanistan
:13:27. > :13:32.security and development because it is in Afghanistan's interest and our
:13:33. > :13:35.own. There has been huge progress made in Afghanistan around the
:13:36. > :13:40.education of women and girls, with the Secretary of State agree with me
:13:41. > :13:44.that long-term stability and prosperity in Afghanistan depends on
:13:45. > :13:48.women and girls being able to make a full contribution to business,
:13:49. > :13:51.political and civic life? My honourable friend is absolutely
:13:52. > :13:55.right and I thought that to myself when I visited Afghanistan recently.
:13:56. > :13:59.Women and girls are key to delivering real and long lasting
:14:00. > :14:02.peace and stability in Afghanistan. And the government is fully
:14:03. > :14:09.committed to this and will continue to work to achieve this. With the
:14:10. > :14:13.Helmand province falling to the Taliban reportedly, what discussions
:14:14. > :14:18.does her department have with other departments in trying to eradicate
:14:19. > :14:23.the poppy crop in Afghanistan? The honourable gentleman raises a really
:14:24. > :14:27.important point. Particularly in light of the many sacrifices which
:14:28. > :14:32.were made in Helmand province. In response to his question we work
:14:33. > :14:40.across government on this issue, Foreign Office and MOD, of course
:14:41. > :14:45.we're working at every level. Different funding has enabled
:14:46. > :14:48.significant progress in maternal health care as well as agitating
:14:49. > :14:53.girls in the federally administered tribal areas between Afghanistan and
:14:54. > :14:56.Pakistan. Would she be willing to meet representatives of the local
:14:57. > :15:01.charity which is a recipient on their next visit to London? I thank
:15:02. > :15:05.my right honourable friend and she is absolutely right about the vital
:15:06. > :15:08.and very important and good work they do. I would be delighted to
:15:09. > :15:22.meet with them when they visit London soon. Discussions with the
:15:23. > :15:25.United Nations are central to the department's work. The Secretary of
:15:26. > :15:28.State speaks regularly to the Secretary General. I'm lucky enough
:15:29. > :15:35.to speak to the heads of UN agencies such as Unicef regularly. Our focus
:15:36. > :15:39.is not just on funding but reform. In particular making sure we have
:15:40. > :15:46.better coordination in humanitarian crises. UN aid programmes are an
:15:47. > :15:49.investment on behalf of all citizens, given a report I was
:15:50. > :15:54.surprised to read some of the statements in the multilateral
:15:55. > :15:57.review. Does the Secretary of State accept that if institutions are to
:15:58. > :16:00.be reformed then it should be done with cooperation with all member
:16:01. > :16:05.states and not at the unilateral discretion of her department? We
:16:06. > :16:10.believe very strongly that reform should be done with other member
:16:11. > :16:13.states and as part of a coalition. As the honourable members pointed
:16:14. > :16:18.out, the multilateral development review has pointed to issues where
:16:19. > :16:22.we think further reform is needed. But the United Nations is essential
:16:23. > :16:27.to Britain's response around the world and we are contributing ?1.6
:16:28. > :16:29.billion this year in our work with the United Nations addressing some
:16:30. > :16:37.of the most vulnerable people on the planet. What success has been hand
:16:38. > :16:40.in recruiting Gulf states to work through the UN system and
:16:41. > :16:47.encouraging them to support our UN reform agenda? Clearly Gulf states
:16:48. > :16:52.who are increasingly large parts of the economy of the world are central
:16:53. > :16:57.to humanitarian response. There have been significant contributions
:16:58. > :17:02.coming from the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. The Secretary of
:17:03. > :17:07.State continues to encourage those contributions particularly to the
:17:08. > :17:10.famines in the Horn of Africa. As president trumps slashes spending it
:17:11. > :17:14.is more important than ever that a globally outward looking nation
:17:15. > :17:20.lives up to responsibility, not shirk it. Will the Minister commit
:17:21. > :17:25.to working with our partners on increasing spending to show that
:17:26. > :17:32.despite Brexit the UK can still be a global leader in bracing its global
:17:33. > :17:36.responsibilities? The answer is that we agree absolutely with this. It is
:17:37. > :17:40.essential that other countries meet their target. We are very proud to
:17:41. > :17:43.be able to stand tall in the world, particularly at a time when children
:17:44. > :17:47.are starving to death and that is why the Secretary of State is
:17:48. > :17:50.leading international coalitions to increase the international
:17:51. > :18:02.commitment to these desperate issues. Order. Topical questions,
:18:03. > :18:05.Alan Brown. Britain's small charities do amazing, often highly
:18:06. > :18:09.innovative work in some of the poorest places in the world. Given
:18:10. > :18:12.the small charities boost with the financial fun that I spoke about,
:18:13. > :18:16.and I urge all colleagues on both sides of the house to encourage
:18:17. > :18:22.small charities in their constituencies to come forward when
:18:23. > :18:26.the funds open this summer. The secretary has already acknowledged
:18:27. > :18:29.last Friday was world TB Day. Hopefully the secretary is aware it
:18:30. > :18:35.is an emergent threat of disease becoming drug-resistant. Can she
:18:36. > :18:39.advise what steps is the government taking to eradicate the TB epidemic
:18:40. > :18:45.and provide treatment for drug resistant strains? He raises a very
:18:46. > :18:48.important point. Of course TB is a deadly disease, it affects so much
:18:49. > :18:53.of the world. We are demonstrating great leadership in this country on
:18:54. > :19:00.how we can tackle and invest in TB as well. Alongside a MR, which is a
:19:01. > :19:02.big agenda the UK has led on, we are funding more work through the Ross
:19:03. > :19:09.fun and also through our research reviews as well. My right honourable
:19:10. > :19:16.friend will be aware of the stigma that exists against people with
:19:17. > :19:20.mental ill-health in many low and middle income countries. What steps
:19:21. > :19:25.is her department doing to combat this problem? We should be listening
:19:26. > :19:30.to the doctor! He had an important message, I'm not sure it was fully
:19:31. > :19:34.heard. My right honourable friend is right to raise this important issue
:19:35. > :19:42.of mental health. In regards to the global goals and the International
:19:43. > :19:45.disability framework. Of course DFID is working across the world,
:19:46. > :19:48.particularly in countries like Ghana, where we I integrate in
:19:49. > :19:55.research in how we can do more with their health systems to deliver.
:19:56. > :19:58.Both the Secretary of State and the Foreign Secretary visited Ethiopia,
:19:59. > :20:03.the second-largest recipient of UK bilateral aid. Meanwhile a British
:20:04. > :20:08.citizen has been on death row for over a thousand days after a show
:20:09. > :20:14.trial, illegally kidnapped. What is the Secretary of State doing to
:20:15. > :20:17.return him to his family in London? I am working with my right
:20:18. > :20:20.honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on this issue because this
:20:21. > :20:24.is how we demonstrate joined up government. But also demonstrate
:20:25. > :20:30.leadership on some of these issues on difficult cases. Could my right
:20:31. > :20:36.honourable friend tell me what steps her department is taking to support
:20:37. > :20:42.women and girls given the Trump Administration Mexico City policy?
:20:43. > :20:45.I'm delighted to confirm this is an issue my right honourable friend has
:20:46. > :20:50.raised with me previously. When it comes to support or family planning
:20:51. > :20:55.around the world in light of America's policies as well. We are
:20:56. > :20:59.hosting a conference in July this year alongside Bill Gates and others
:21:00. > :21:04.to continue to demonstrate UK leadership on this issue while also
:21:05. > :21:13.challenging others and in particular to work with the private sector on
:21:14. > :21:19.this. I recently met with you. AIDS campaigners from my constituency who
:21:20. > :21:23.are optimistic about the international family planning summit
:21:24. > :21:27.in July. Their concern is to make sure HIV is an integral part of the
:21:28. > :21:31.conference. Can the Secretary of State assure me that the HIV
:21:32. > :21:36.organisation will be included in the civil society steering fund set up
:21:37. > :21:40.to advise on planning for the summit? The honourable gentleman
:21:41. > :21:45.raises an important point both about the summit and about HIV AIDS and
:21:46. > :21:50.representation from civil society. I can give him complete assurance that
:21:51. > :21:54.we are not only engaging with them, we are working with them. Their
:21:55. > :22:03.voices will be at the heart of what we do. My constituents want to see
:22:04. > :22:06.value for money and transparency in the international aid system, what
:22:07. > :22:12.more can the Secretary of State do to ensure this happens? Heat is
:22:13. > :22:20.right to raise the issue of value for money. My honourable friend is
:22:21. > :22:26.right to raise the important issue of delivering value for money. I can
:22:27. > :22:31.give him complete assurance as I can the entire house that the reforms we
:22:32. > :22:39.are undertaking, every pound of UK aid and how it is spent will deliver
:22:40. > :22:43.taxpayers money and we will deliver. Even before the famine, South Sudan
:22:44. > :22:47.had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Now
:22:48. > :22:51.the UN estimates that 33,000 pregnant women are on the brink of
:22:52. > :22:54.extreme hunger. Does the Secretary of State agree on the need for
:22:55. > :22:59.specific aid focused on maternal health, sanitary products and the
:23:00. > :23:02.education of girls and women? The honourable gentleman will know the
:23:03. > :23:06.UK leads when it comes to maternal health and also the support and the
:23:07. > :23:11.advocacy for women and girls around the world. We will continue to do
:23:12. > :23:15.that, and the areas he highlights are crucial to our leadership but
:23:16. > :23:21.also the work and the way UK aid is spent in this area as well. Some
:23:22. > :23:25.people have concerns of the idea of linking trade with aid, does my
:23:26. > :23:34.honourable friend agree it fosters a wider development of a healthy legal
:23:35. > :23:39.practice? As I've said, in earlier remarks, it comes to prosperity and
:23:40. > :23:44.development. He is right to make the case and highlight we do not tie aid
:23:45. > :23:49.and trade, but there is a role for governments and built in prosperity,
:23:50. > :23:54.that is effectively what we are doing with the economic element
:23:55. > :23:58.strategy. There seems to be wide agreement across this house that
:23:59. > :24:01.foreign aid is a good thing and an investment but he had the public
:24:02. > :24:06.debate driven by popular as is incredibly toxic. What is this
:24:07. > :24:10.government doing to detoxify the public debate surrounding foreign
:24:11. > :24:12.aid? What I would say to the honourable gentleman is at a time
:24:13. > :24:18.when there is great need in the world and we have seen enormous
:24:19. > :24:22.generosity from UK taxpayers, we have seen the country come together
:24:23. > :24:26.but also the international community come together to give support and
:24:27. > :24:30.aid to the people that need it most, that is something we are proud of,
:24:31. > :24:33.and absolutely, we stand tall in the world when we stand up for our
:24:34. > :24:37.obligations for the poorest in the world, that's effectively what we
:24:38. > :24:40.are doing the blue order, questions to the Prime Minister.