Live International Development Questions House of Commons

Development Secretary and her team

of ministers.

Order, order. Questions to be

secretary of state for national

development.

Question number one,

please, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, may I start by paying

tribute to Rebecca Dykes, the Dfid

staff member killed in such tragic

circumstances last month in Beirut.

She was passionate about helping

others and through her work has

improved the lives of some of the

most logical ice people in the

world. Her family have set up a

charitable fund in her name to

advance some of the causes that you

get so deeply about. My department

is providing support. -- the causes

that she cared so do deeply about.

I'm sure I speak for the whole House

when I say that our thoughts and

prayers are with her family at this

time. The UK continues to lead

efforts to strengthen international

tax transparency. If supports

developing countries, to benefit

from and influence new international

standards which help to tackle tax

avoidance and evasion.

Mr Speaker,

Lesotho has severely underfunded

public services partly due to high

levels of HIV and AIDS but we have

just concluded a tax treaty with

this every which limits its ability

to levy taxes. Is this an consistent

with promoting international

development?

One of the things I've done this

week is set up a new team to help

countries that we are seeking to

develop and that are transitioning

out of poverty improved tax

collection systems and set up public

services. This is what we focus on

as well as alleviating people in

crisis and its property. I would be

happy to drop further about this

issue with you honourable lady. --

to talk further about this issue.

Do you agree that aggressive tax

avoidance including tax havens can

only be tackled by collective global

action and will her department keep

the site on the agenda at future GH

meetings?

The UK is leading this

agenda, having put it on the agenda

of the G8 in 2013. -- at future G8

meetings.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. But

despite all that developing

countries have an effective tax

collection system themselves. -- it

is vital that developing countries.

How are you planning to support

countries?

We need to be something

more hands-on and practical and I am

dedicating some resource within my

department, a team that will focus

on that for every nation that we

work with.

Will she committed work

of conservatives and Government to

crack down on tax havens, including

the leadership shown by David

Cameron in making this a centrepiece

of the UK's G8 Summit in 2013? --

will she commended the work of

Conservatives and Government.

We

have made progress. All of our

overseas territories which have a

tax centres are committed to global

transparency on this issue.

Question

number two.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Eradicating

modern slavery is a top UK priority.

We are habitable Libyan capacity to

tackle this crime and providing

humanitarian aid and production for

migrants and refugees, not just here

but on the whole foot travelling to

Libya. Last year, we supported

interventions for migrants and

refugees in Libya.

Over 2000 people signed a petition

that was debated last month, the

issue is of great concern to all.

What update can we have on this

planet, agreed by African union and

EU countries at the end of November,

and how many migrants have been

repatriated? -- on this plan.

I asked the organiser of the

position after the debate, I asked

to come to the office to see me and

we had a meeting last week with

herself and one of the supporters of

the petition. It gave a transfer my

officials to talk with about the

huge interest and concern that the

petition demonstrated. In short,

this is a matter that worries as

considerably. Work is going on

across Government in relation to the

criminal aspects of the slave

auctions but I was able to outline

what we are doing to build capacity

along the wood.

We need short

answers. We have got lots of

questions to get it.

Will you join me in welcoming the

significant investment from the

budget that the department has made

available to tackle modern slavery

in Libya and across all migration

routes from sub-Saharan Africa and

Europe? Will he reaffirmed his

commitment to this work?

Even though time is tight I must

thank my right arm offering from

this remarkable support as whip. --

my right honourable friend for his

remarkable support. We have £1

million programme focused on

migration along with two South

Africa and Libya. He is right to

raise this.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, I've

repeatedly raised in this chamber of

the abuse endured by migrants in the

camps in Libya. Sexual violence

against women, girls and men. Can

you now confirmed that Libya has now

been designated a euchre preventing

sexual violence initiative probity

country? -- a UK preventing sexual

violence.

I frankly -- I thank you

very much. The International

Development Secretary yesterday

inaugurated this programme that you

mention. We are in contact with the

Libyan Government about this and I

had a high-level meeting in Geneva

last week about the issues contained

in question.

Mr Speaker, we -- would you

commended the work of the Church to

help us to identify victims more

easily? All too often they are

invisible to us.

My right honourable friend is right.

Modern slavery is a very key part of

the pie Mr's agenda. £150 million

has been allotted to this. -- port

of the Prime Minister's agenda.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I join

the secretary of state in paying

tribute to Rebecca diets. Our

thoughts are with her family,

friends and colleagues during this

very difficult time. May I

congratulate the new Minister for

Africa on her appointment. I'd like

to thank the Minister for his

answer. But the truth is that we

must do much more. This is not

modern slavery, it is just slavery,

pure and simple. Alive and

flourishing in the 21st century. It

is racist and it is a stain on

personality. The African union say

there are hundreds of thousands at

risk. Repatriating a feud thousand

will never be enough. Can I ask the

Secretary of State to address the

root causes and will she re-examine

the UK and Europe's all migration

policy in the Mediterranean and

across Africa? -- Europe's own

migration policy. Can I thank you

for your comments on Rebecca Dykes.

I am grateful for these comments and

it spoke for all of us. The

honourable that is right to keep the

attention focused on slavery but I

want to do as much as I can to

reassure her that we have this very

much in focus, although there is

more to be done. A closer connection

between the EU, the UN and the

African union. We are working with

international partners in relation

to the whole of the road. We are

also working specifically in

relation to Libya on the criminal

aspects of this. It is complex,

Libya is a difficult stage work in

and it is a £150 billion communal

operation moving people around and

putting them to slavery. We will

continue to do as much as possible.

-- £150 billion criminal.

And sorry

but we must get on. Mr Lambert.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Small

charities are vital to the UK's

funding for international developer.

Last July, a small charity boss Mike

Allen fund was launched to support

the work of small charities in

development. The funding will allow

these organisations to increase the

root of the work.

The Scottish Borders make a

significant contribution to the

overseas aid effort. Local

grassroots organisations can play a

crucial role in some of the world's

tourist countries. Applying for

funding is often difficult. --

poorest countries. Can you reassure

me that the Department is doing all

it can to promote these funds and

make applying for funds as easy as

possible?

Can I thank the honourable gentleman

for his excellent question and agree

with him that we do need and have

tried to make this process as simple

as to mind as possible. We

publicised it with a range of

different regional offence and

written to every single member of

Parliament in this place because, of

course, excellent local MPs like

himself or able to publicise these

opportunities to the great

grassroots charities. -- himself are

able.

Mr Speaker during the row into

crisis the ability of a local mosque

with the difficult to get cricket

injury crisis situation. Apparently

dug into the framework for disasters

in the future? Ellen Mac and even

can I thank the work done in his

constituency to raise money for this

appalling crisis?

He will know it is

possible to get match funding from

the local department when local

committees are able to do such an

impressive amount of fundraising.

Given that larger charities are

necessarily more bureaucratic and

that the UK aid grant scheme was set

up to help smaller charities are

Minister satisfied that the due

diligence processes for applications

from smaller charities are entirely

appropriate and cost effective?

For

small charities we do due diligence,

we have had over 100 applications to

the small charities fund, the cut

off the size of charities £250,000

and I look forward to my colleague,

my right honourable friend,

announcing the results of the first

round of challenge.

Will small

charities that are particularly

innovative in sub-Saharan Africa in

providing clean drinking what to

hundreds of thousands of individuals

there, will they be able to avail

themselves of the fund until she

actively promote the fund to them?

Yes indeed they will be able to

prove -- provided that they are

smaller than 257, provided they are

working in one of the 50 biggest

countries in the world, which the

fund is aimed. The larger they can

apply for other sources funding.

The

Secretary of State may talk about

the 4 million small charities

challenge fund but the truth is that

this government is failing to

national charities and the people

they serve. Civil Society funding

squeeze, the flexible funding

scrapped and the rights to speak out

restricted under the Draconian

lobbying acts so what planet the

Secretary of State have the time it

around?

Can I congratulate the

honourable lady on her appointment?

And say how much we look forward to

working with her. We are proud of

the track record we have in terms of

0.7%, indeed my right honourable

friend will be announcing her

strategic priority shortly.

With

permission, I will add to questions

for and nine together, briefly. The

UK Government consistently calls on

the Israeli government to ease

movement and access restrictions in

the all BT is, since 2011 rehab and

funding new coordination unit is to

work with the Israeli government and

the Palestinian Authority.

Could I

point out that Palestinians in the

occupied territories faced

significant barriers to accessing

health care? Some have even died due

to delays at checkpoints so will the

Minister recommend the review of the

visually human race record that the

left restrictions of movement on

Palestinian health care workers and

Abdul answers?

The honourable

gentleman draws attention to a

serious aspect of the difficulties

of the restrictions, it is much in

the UK's mind and we will continue

to abuse it.

I would like to draw

attention to the US Senate overnight

of the largest cut in aid to

Palestinian refugees in 70 years,

and the Israeli governor ban on 20

international organisation and

singers will including the from the

UK. But this can turn the government

and what does it intend to do?

They

have a unique role to provide

essential services to 5 million

Palestinian refugees, would he be

concerned about the impact of

potential cuts in US funding

possibility in the region and the

continued the -- and continuity of

funding of the services, we will go

on supporting them.

What action is

the Minister taking to ensure no

taxpayer money at the pockets of

convicted terrorists?

Mr Speaker we

do not give aid to terrorists and

the Palestinian Authority knows

that.

What action is my honourable

friend taking to ensure that the

funds given to the Palestinian

Authority and two Israeli NGOs are

used to promote peace in the area so

we can see peaceful coexistence

between Israel and the state of

Palestine?

My honourable friend

raises an aborted point, we have

allocated £3 million to coexistence

projects so that those from the

Palestinian community and the

Israelis can work more effectively

together, one of the problems in

recent years has been a growing

divide between communities, we want

to find products that will try and

break down barriers rather than

erect them.

Will the government

opposes President Trump's latest

threat to withdraw funding from the

UN Works agency and will the

government attend a conference

between the Norwegian government and

EU of donor countries to discuss the

eminent crisis that would result?

Yato to the second question is yes I

hope to attend the conference

myself, and secondly as I answered

the honourable gentleman, it is a

decision for the United States. We

are concerned about the impact but

our support will continue.

The US

President's said this week to

withdraw tens of millions of dollars

to the UN relief and Works agency

for Palestinian refugees is an act

of cruelty towards some of the

poorest and most disadvantaged

people in the world. It attacks the

long-established principle that

development and aid cannot wait a

peace deal. What is the Minister

doing to of the UN and our European

counterparts to maintain vital

humanitarian work in the region?

Outlook on the honourable gentleman

to his position? We look forward to

hearing more from them. Our

commitment for next year to the

programme but it is that he's

million pounds, it says to the

provision of basic education for

some half a million children. We

have a fake spread earlier, we are

concerned about the loss of funding

to the group but our support for it

remains clear. It is another example

of how something will not be

properly fixed until we get the

agreement between Israel and the

Palestinians that we are all

searching for and we hold 2018 will

be a landmark in that.

Mr Speaker,

donor countries have spent over £2

billion in humanitarian, $2 billion

in Germanic monetary and aid in

2017.

This does not capture of the

aid flows to Yemen including

significant contributors from Gulf

country to tell much of their aid

independently. The UK is the second

largest or to the year and

hash-mac To the Yemeni appeal and

the third largest order to Yemen in

the world.

The Minister will be

aware that the Saturday relaxation

of the blockade on the day the port

expires at the end of this we can

even while it has been on a

combination of its temporary nature

and the action of it immediately sat

pushed up prices so many people will

not be able to afford the fuel, the

food and the medicines that are

coming in so what can the

international community do to ensure

that supplies continue to reach

people in Yemen and they are able to

stave off the famine that still

affects of a billion people?

Mr

Speaker we are working hard to

ensure that commercial and

humanitarian access to Yemen remains

unhindered. It is vital that both

commercial and humanitarian aid gets

through, the honourable gentleman is

right to raise that the UK is

working very hard to make sure that

process continues to deal with the

Manichaean crisis in Yemen.

The

Unicef report highlights the

appalling impact on children of the

conflict in Yemen. I ask the

Minister to examine the proposal

from War child that at least 1% of

humanitarian funding should be

devoted to mental health and

psychosocial support.

I would be

very happy to see that, I have not

seen that yet, it is to be that

looking after psychological and

mental health was seen as something

of benevolent add-on in terms of aid

and support, bearing mind the prices

-- the crises and trauma that so

many youngsters go through. The UK

is a firm advocate of this and I

will certainly look at the report.

There are no winners in war. The

Daily Telegraph for Christmas

correctly said that Saudi Arabia has

no shipments passing through to

Yemen. It is now -- is not your

apostasy that our government is

providing billions of pounds worth

of arms sales to Saudi Arabia when 7

million Yemeni people are facing the

worst famine in decades?

My right

honourable friend made a significant

contribution to humanitarian access

by visiting Djibouti and Riyadh is

just before the 20th of December,

and the resulting decision has

improved he Manichaean access there.

Arms sales are strictly controlled

as the Houston 's very well. We

continue our support for a coalition

that is vitally that -- that is

seriously fighting this insurgency

and also arms abroad from outside

Yemen and directed against them but

we will be firm in our determination

to see an end to the conflict, which

is the only thing that will resolve

humanitarian crisis.

Thank you. Yesterday I launched the

UK's new action plan on women peace

and security alongside the FCO and

MOD, empowering women and girls and

putting them at the heart of our

efforts to prevent and resolve

conflict helps to bring a lasting

peace and safer more prosperous

world. This is good for both

developing countries and the UK.

Mr

Speaker we obviously worked very

closely with our EU partners in the

delivery of international aid, as

the Secretary of State makes pants

are working with easy after bereaved

is she under the working assumption

that Turkey will be a member state?

I am not anticipating that to

happen, and I have been very clear

that we will work with all of our

European partners, we will be much

more focused on the things that

matter to us and are stretched --

strategic priorities as we do so,

but we will remain working

hand-in-hand with many countries in

Europe.

British taxpayers can be

proud that their money goes to the

salaries of Palestinian teachers but

does the Secretary of State share my

concern that some of these teachers

happen working at one of 30 schools

named after terrorists who have

murdered Israelis and even silly

named after Nasser collaborator is?

As the house knows we constantly

challenge the Palestinian Authority

in relation to anything that might

encourage or glorify violence. I can

assure the house that we make sure

that there are no payments made to

those who have those connections and

we do all we can to encourage the

authority to understand that the

naming of places after those who

have been involved in terrorism does

not contribute to the peace process.

Della oh could I ask the Secretary

of State if you will conduct an

independent review of independent

aid delivery method in Iraq? There

are reports that UK aid is not

reaching vulnerable religious

minorities.

Mr Speaker we do look

very seriously at these allegations,

there is a constant review in the

department to make sure that some of

the challenges that come in on

notice to swim a nation are

evidenced. -- on religious

discrimination. We do not have the

evidence of significant

discrimination but we are always on

the lookout for it.

Does the

Secretary of State agree with me

that different money spent on

repairing catastrophic hurricane

damage in UK overseas territories

which often heads the poorest

hardest of all should always qualify

as legitimate overseas aid?

I agree

with my right honourable friend, the

rules which we are constricted by

have not prevented us from coming up

with the funds needed to help those

areas hit by hurricanes, and it is

also a lesson while we should also

continue investing in our defence

capabilities, we are very reliant on

our Armed Forces and getting into

those places.

Yesterday officials

from the Armagh and Bangladesh --

officials from my Armagh and

Bangladesh agreed details of the

beep adoration of the raw anger and

reports suggest that they will have

no guarantee of citizenship by the

return, may be forced to return

against their will and they will be

vetted individually as potential

terrorists. Before giving the UK

governance board but will the

Minister do to, beyond taking the

two governments at their word to

verify that repatriation for the

Rohingya will be safe, voluntarily

and dignified?

I thank the

honourable lady for her question

because it affords me the

opportunity to remind the house what

these people have fled from. Their

voice, they should have a say in

what happens to them and we

absolutely agree that those returns

must be voluntarily, safe, dignified

and sustainable. Those conditions

are far from being met.

Would I be

right in assuming my right

honourable friend will be using my

international development act from a

couple of years ago which composers

a statutory obligation on every

penny of her department's budget to

protect women and children

inhalation to all of the matters in

my Armagh and Bangladesh?

I will do

that, we watched for the policy to

strengthen our humanitarian effort

in that respect towards women and

children in particular and we have

also drawn on our defence

capabilities to build capacity in

the Bangladesh police force to keep

everyone in those camps safe.

Are

many in the refugee camps...

The

honourable gentleman is asking about

the conditions of life or occupants

of refugee camps, I know there is an

error of expectation but can I

remind colleagues we are discussing

some of the poorest most vulnerable

and marginalised people on the face

of the planet so be respectful.

Many

of my constituents who have been

fleeing persecution wished to join

their family in the UK.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

This

Government has rightly been at the

forefront of the international fight

against modern slavery. Does my

right honourable friend believe that

we can spread some of the best part

is what you're around the world?

I

thank you, I think he is right. In

addition to the leadership we have

shown and the work that my

department does, there is more we

can do the power of technology to

prevent people falling victim to

slavery trafficking.

What is the UK

Government doing to address the

civil rights situation in Hondurans

were Jez Litten priest and others

are being intimidated by -- with

Jason at -- we are Jesuit priests

and others are being intimidated?

I

speak regularly with the Foreign

Secretary about all these issues. I

would be happy to speak on that

issue. It is extremely important as

we look at our frequent across the

world and is the wish to do more to

engage with more of the world, that

we have this oversight on what is

happening at the ground. We wish to

help