Live International Development Questions House of Commons

and Means. I beg to move. As many as are of that opinion say aye, on the

contrary, no. The ayes have it. Questions to the Secretary of State

for International Development. Number one, Mr Speaker. The UK who

research in cutting poverty is more important than ever before. We are

demonstrating leadership on this issue. I have been advised of an

important matter and I wish to offer a happy birthday to the secretary of

state. Even products of a small and innovative company in my

constituency are part of a rapid response group. What is the

Department doing to encourage even more small businesses and charities

to engage with this work? Thank you for your very kind birthday wishes.

My honourable friend is absolutely right in the point about small

businesses in his constituency and in all of our constituencies. I

would like to congratulate the country he has mentioned for the

outstanding work they do in development. I am actually leading a

review of our suppliers right now and we are changing the way in which

we procure and we will ensure there are more UK firms, in particular,

that have the opportunity to support UK aid around the world and deliver

on our departmental objectives. Can I pay tribute to the work that the

Secretary of State is doing in this and in much of sub Saharan sapphic

-- Africa people are working with water to challenge drought and we

can do more to support them. The challenge that we have across sub

Saharan Africa is a drought and water provision and all of the

essentials that many of us take for granted and he is quite right that

small charities play a crucial role in doing that and delivering that

and that is why last week I announced the new small charities

challenge fund that will give small charities across the United Kingdom

more of an opportunity to access our funds and support to go out and

deliver life-saving aid around the world. As we leave the European

Union would my right honourable friend agree with me that we have a

unique opportunity to help eradicate extreme poverty through free trade

opportunities? My honourable friend is absolutely right and, of course,

today being a very significant day he is right to raise this issue and

we do know, of course, through all of our work, that to move countries

to aid in dependency we have to give them empowerment and prosperity are

one aspect of that is free trade, along with all of the work that we

do in terms of bringing commerce new trading opportunities but education

as well to countries around the world. The Ross fund is co-managed

by the Department and the Department of Health, what role will that have

in priorities around new investment coordination projects across

government? The honourable lady is quite right and thank you for

raising the ?357 million that is associated with this fund which we

spell -- spend on top of the DIFD money that we already give through

the research review I launched last year and in terms of what that does,

this speaks to our leadership in the world when it comes to tackling

health epidemics. Look at the work we lead on a bowler and also these

eco-virus and last Friday was world TB Day and it is universities around

the United Kingdom where we have been investing and showing

leadership in how we can tackle some of these awful diseases and get

better prevention of these diseases and epidemics. The UK is at the

forefront of international efforts to avert a famine in Somalia. Our

additional ?110 million of aid will provide food and water and emergency

services for over 1 million people and I think all members of this

house will recognise that we are experiencing and witnessing an

absolutely devastating famine in Somalia right way -- right now but

UK aid is making an enormous different. I thank the Secretary of

State for her comments and they're up to 3 million people at risk of

starvation in Somalia and it is very important to not only get the food

in but make sure that the food goes to those people who really need it.

I would like to press her a little more on how we can physically get

the food to those who most need it. The honourable gentleman is

absolutely right to raise this issue but I think first and foremost I

would like to commend all the partners and agencies who are

working in Somalia in what are quite terrible and difficult and harrowing

conditions. We work with a range of trusted and experienced partners in

a very difficult country, there is a very difficult country, there

no doubt about that and I have met no doubt about that and I have met

and officials as well. Our priority with many of them as have my teens

and officials as well. Our priority is to get emergency food and water

to the people who need that and we are working with a range of agencies

to do exactly that. The crisis in Somalia, East Africa and Yemen is

truly appalling and I welcome what the secretary have stared in terms

of the UK donation but what are we doing to ensure that other wealthy

countries rise to the challenge as well? I thank the honourable

gentleman for that remark. He will know that thanks to the generosity

of the UK tax payer the East African debt appeal has now reached ?40

million and UK aid has contributed to that and rightly so, through the

match funding that we do. Others need to do more and I have been

unequivocal on the fact that other countries need to pull their finger

out. We have led the way in terms of lobbying, making calls and all the

ministers across Difd and government as well, FCO ministers and others

have been doing exactly that, pressing the wealthy countries to

contribute more to these particular famines and step up their own

responses. What work is the department doing for the

international community to help ensure we are better able to provide

a more urgent response and an early response to food crises, to avoid a

mass loss of life? The honourable lady is right to raise this point

and what we are seeing right now is totally unprecedented. We are seeing

the prospect of four famines which were all of us to witness in 2017 is

simply horrific but there is more that can be done. What we are doing,

the UK, working with others is actually trying to build greater

capacity and resilience in these countries as well so we do not reach

these crisis points, as we have done so this year, where we are

effectively getting international appeals come together and asking and

pleading for people to give money. The long-term strategy has to be to

build greater resilience which we have seen work in countries such as

Ethiopia and Kenya in the past. On March 21 the United Nations

agriculture agency further scaled up its activities in drought ridden

regions of Somalia and I would like to thank them for the 22 million

which was low. I have been getting concerned constituents asking who

will be paying back this loan and will it be the United Nations or the

Somalians? This is an important point. An issue about funding and

resourcing for these crisis appeals, effectively. The UK has stepped up

and lead the way and, in fact, it was through the visit that I went

to, I went to Somalia six weeks ago and we managed to come been more

funds from the UK and we are getting others to do so. We cannot continue

to put the debt burden on countries that are struggling and a government

that is so new we have to support and continue to support and we have

the Somalia conference coming up very soon. Question number three.

The humanitarian crisis facing the world in 2017 is unprecedented. The

UK's leading the response and stepping up our life-saving support

across East Africa. On a recent visit to Kenya and Uganda with the

international development committee we met children who had walked up to

ten kilometres just to get to school and ten kilometres back and many

were lucky if they got one meal a day. At the school we also discussed

associated educational and developmental conditions and issues.

What information is there about the support of school age programmes? He

is right to highlight this and I am glad the select committee saw the

strong work that Difd does on partnership with education in Kenya

and Uganda. We provide a range of support and through our work that we

do we look at all aspects of water, food, and the provision of health

care, and how we can support vulnerable households. Can I pay

tribute to the many people of Cardiff who have been raising funds

for the drought affected areas in Somaliland, including local football

teams but I have had worrying concerns from the government of

Somaliland another is that some of the aid is not getting through. Can

the Secretary of State investigate this?

We always have to challenge the system but also the governments and

authorities, and he will know in Somaliland specifically there are

issues because it's very challenging and difficult to rain. I will always

press and be vocal and call those out that are preventing aid access,

so I will look into the point he has made. I met with the Ethiopian

ambassador yesterday who made the point to me that money is needed

desperately at at the same time let's not stereotype East Africa. It

is a place of prosperity and a place where Louise torn handbags are made

and some of the finest clubs are made as well as a place that

requires help in the North. My honourable friend is absolutely

right. I saw myself when I went to Ethiopia, I went to one of the

industrial parts. Ethiopian is a great success story now in terms of

how it has moved from famine and poverty to prosperity. And that's

effectively what we want to see more of. I wonder if the Secretary of

State is aware of reports that the South Sudanese government is

planning to raise the cost of permits from $100 what steps can the

Department made to ensure access for aid workers and what success is it

having? The honourable gentleman is right to raise this issue, he will

not be surprised to hear me say we have been calling the government out

on this. Their behaviour has been appalling in putting up fees and the

way in which they have been blocking aid access as well and we will

continue to apply or pressure to make sure we are tackling these

issues. I'm sure the Secretary of State would commend comic relief for

raising ?73 million this year. But is she as concerned as I am that

they showed a baby dying at 8:30pm before watershed, another baby dying

at 9:10pm, and overall the portrayal of Africa is very narrow. They need

to review the formula, it is affecting understanding of a

complicated continent with 52 countries. I agree with my right

honourable friend about the great work of comic relief and the way in

which they raised so much money for causes domestic and internationally.

I did not see the footage he refers to. As we have touched on already in

some exchanges, Africa has a bright future ahead of itself, there is no

doubt about that. In terms of population, economic developer and

prosperity, and these other things to on. Patrick Grady. Could she

explained how helping local partners to develop paid and how this is

helping the department make progress towards the target agreed for 25% of

humanitarian aid delivered by 2020? This is a very important point and

the question he raises. Because of course following the world

humanitarian summit we have been leading the charge, working with

others in the system as well including Stephen O'Brien in terms

of how we can get better efficiency is and improve ways of working and

that is crucial. I think the East African crisis has shown how we can

deliver aid more effectively. Yes, throughout partnership working, but

also reform the ways of working which we need to continually

improve. Britain has a proven track record in supporting Afghanistan and

a long-term commitment to the future of the country. As my right

honourable friend said on Monday we will continue to support Afghanistan

security and development because it is in Afghanistan's interest and our

own. There has been huge progress made in Afghanistan around the

education of women and girls, with the Secretary of State agree with me

that long-term stability and prosperity in Afghanistan depends on

women and girls being able to make a full contribution to business,

political and civic life? My honourable friend is absolutely

right and I thought that to myself when I visited Afghanistan recently.

Women and girls are key to delivering real and long lasting

peace and stability in Afghanistan. And the government is fully

committed to this and will continue to work to achieve this. With the

Helmand province falling to the Taliban reportedly, what discussions

does her department have with other departments in trying to eradicate

the poppy crop in Afghanistan? The honourable gentleman raises a really

important point. Particularly in light of the many sacrifices which

were made in Helmand province. In response to his question we work

across government on this issue, Foreign Office and MOD, of course

we're working at every level. Different funding has enabled

significant progress in maternal health care as well as agitating

girls in the federally administered tribal areas between Afghanistan and

Pakistan. Would she be willing to meet representatives of the local

charity which is a recipient on their next visit to London? I thank

my right honourable friend and she is absolutely right about the vital

and very important and good work they do. I would be delighted to

meet with them when they visit London soon. Discussions with the

United Nations are central to the department's work. The Secretary of

State speaks regularly to the Secretary General. I'm lucky enough

to speak to the heads of UN agencies such as Unicef regularly. Our focus

is not just on funding but reform. In particular making sure we have

better coordination in humanitarian crises. UN aid programmes are an

investment on behalf of all citizens, given a report I was

surprised to read some of the statements in the multilateral

review. Does the Secretary of State accept that if institutions are to

be reformed then it should be done with cooperation with all member

states and not at the unilateral discretion of her department? We

believe very strongly that reform should be done with other member

states and as part of a coalition. As the honourable members pointed

out, the multilateral development review has pointed to issues where

we think further reform is needed. But the United Nations is essential

to Britain's response around the world and we are contributing ?1.6

billion this year in our work with the United Nations addressing some

of the most vulnerable people on the planet. What success has been hand

in recruiting Gulf states to work through the UN system and

encouraging them to support our UN reform agenda? Clearly Gulf states

who are increasingly large parts of the economy of the world are central

to humanitarian response. There have been significant contributions

coming from the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. The Secretary of

State continues to encourage those contributions particularly to the

famines in the Horn of Africa. As president trumps slashes spending it

is more important than ever that a globally outward looking nation

lives up to responsibility, not shirk it. Will the Minister commit

to working with our partners on increasing spending to show that

despite Brexit the UK can still be a global leader in bracing its global

responsibilities? The answer is that we agree absolutely with this. It is

essential that other countries meet their target. We are very proud to

be able to stand tall in the world, particularly at a time when children

are starving to death and that is why the Secretary of State is

leading international coalitions to increase the international

commitment to these desperate issues. Order. Topical questions,

Alan Brown. Britain's small charities do amazing, often highly

innovative work in some of the poorest places in the world. Given

the small charities boost with the financial fun that I spoke about,

and I urge all colleagues on both sides of the house to encourage

small charities in their constituencies to come forward when

the funds open this summer. The secretary has already acknowledged

last Friday was world TB Day. Hopefully the secretary is aware it

is an emergent threat of disease becoming drug-resistant. Can she

advise what steps is the government taking to eradicate the TB epidemic

and provide treatment for drug resistant strains? He raises a very

important point. Of course TB is a deadly disease, it affects so much

of the world. We are demonstrating great leadership in this country on

how we can tackle and invest in TB as well. Alongside a MR, which is a

big agenda the UK has led on, we are funding more work through the Ross

fun and also through our research reviews as well. My right honourable

friend will be aware of the stigma that exists against people with

mental ill-health in many low and middle income countries. What steps

is her department doing to combat this problem? We should be listening

to the doctor! He had an important message, I'm not sure it was fully

heard. My right honourable friend is right to raise this important issue

of mental health. In regards to the global goals and the International

disability framework. Of course DFID is working across the world,

particularly in countries like Ghana, where we I integrate in

research in how we can do more with their health systems to deliver.

Both the Secretary of State and the Foreign Secretary visited Ethiopia,

the second-largest recipient of UK bilateral aid. Meanwhile a British

citizen has been on death row for over a thousand days after a show

trial, illegally kidnapped. What is the Secretary of State doing to

return him to his family in London? I am working with my right

honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on this issue because this

is how we demonstrate joined up government. But also demonstrate

leadership on some of these issues on difficult cases. Could my right

honourable friend tell me what steps her department is taking to support

women and girls given the Trump Administration Mexico City policy?

I'm delighted to confirm this is an issue my right honourable friend has

raised with me previously. When it comes to support or family planning

around the world in light of America's policies as well. We are

hosting a conference in July this year alongside Bill Gates and others

to continue to demonstrate UK leadership on this issue while also

challenging others and in particular to work with the private sector on

this. I recently met with you. AIDS campaigners from my constituency who

are optimistic about the international family planning summit

in July. Their concern is to make sure HIV is an integral part of the

conference. Can the Secretary of State assure me that the HIV

organisation will be included in the civil society steering fund set up

to advise on planning for the summit? The honourable gentleman

raises an important point both about the summit and about HIV AIDS and

representation from civil society. I can give him complete assurance that

we are not only engaging with them, we are working with them. Their

voices will be at the heart of what we do. My constituents want to see

value for money and transparency in the international aid system, what

more can the Secretary of State do to ensure this happens? Heat is

right to raise the issue of value for money. My honourable friend is

right to raise the important issue of delivering value for money. I can

give him complete assurance as I can the entire house that the reforms we

are undertaking, every pound of UK aid and how it is spent will deliver

taxpayers money and we will deliver. Even before the famine, South Sudan

had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Now

the UN estimates that 33,000 pregnant women are on the brink of

extreme hunger. Does the Secretary of State agree on the need for

specific aid focused on maternal health, sanitary products and the

education of girls and women? The honourable gentleman will know the

UK leads when it comes to maternal health and also the support and the

advocacy for women and girls around the world. We will continue to do

that, and the areas he highlights are crucial to our leadership but

also the work and the way UK aid is spent in this area as well. Some

people have concerns of the idea of linking trade with aid, does my

honourable friend agree it fosters a wider development of a healthy legal

practice? As I've said, in earlier remarks, it comes to prosperity and

development. He is right to make the case and highlight we do not tie aid

and trade, but there is a role for governments and built in prosperity,

that is effectively what we are doing with the economic element

strategy. There seems to be wide agreement across this house that

foreign aid is a good thing and an investment but he had the public

debate driven by popular as is incredibly toxic. What is this

government doing to detoxify the public debate surrounding foreign

aid? What I would say to the honourable gentleman is at a time

when there is great need in the world and we have seen enormous

generosity from UK taxpayers, we have seen the country come together

but also the international community come together to give support and

aid to the people that need it most, that is something we are proud of,

and absolutely, we stand tall in the world when we stand up for our

obligations for the poorest in the world, that's effectively what we

are doing the blue order, questions to the Prime Minister.