Wednesday Volume 654 13 February 2019 No. 252 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 13 February 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 865 13 FEBRUARY 2019 866 Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con): House of Commons May I declare an interest, having recently joined the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green) Wednesday 13 February 2019 on a visit with Oxfam in Jordan? I very much welcome the London initiative. Will urgent steps be taken to take account of the fact that youth unemployment in the The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock country is now some 38%? Not only is there a high level of female unemployment, but the participation rate of women in the workforce in Jordan is even lower than PRAYERS that in Saudi Arabia. Will those urgent objectives be at the heart of what the Secretary of State is trying to achieve? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Penny Mordaunt: I can reassure my hon. Friend that that will absolutely be the case. This issue has been a Oral Answers to Questions focus for me personally on my visits to Jordan, and I will be focusing on it at the London conference. Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Does INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT the Secretary of State realise that one thing holding back development in Jordan is the number of children and young people killed on the roads there? I spoke at a The Secretary of State was asked— conference in Jordan recently, where we looked at this area. Jordan is one of the better countries in the middle Jordan: London Initiative 2019 east and north Africa on this, but we need some action to be taken to stop children and young people being 1. Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab): What killed in Jordan in this way. her priorities are for the London initiative 2019 on opportunities for growth and development in Jordan. Penny Mordaunt: I pay tribute to the work the hon. [R] [909191] Gentleman has done on this issue. We often think about disease and other such killers of children, but road The Secretary of State for International Development traffic accidents take an enormous number of lives—I (Penny Mordaunt): Mr Speaker, I hope you will allow believe that they are the biggest killer of individuals in me to paya brief tribute to the Department for International developing countries. He will know that we have a new Development staff and partners who were caught up in programme looking at this, and we will continue to lean the terrorist attack in Nairobi last month. Some of in on the issue. them, including a British national, lost their lives that day.Despite the trauma of that event, our staff immediately Female Genital Mutilation joined the crisis response team, and I want to thank them, as I am sure the whole House wishes to do, for all 2. Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con): What steps she that they did. is taking to help eradicate female genital mutilation in The Prime Minister will lead the London initiative on developing countries. [909192] 28 February to unlock growth, jobs and investment in Jordan. The UK is convening an international coalition The Minister of State, Department for International of businesses and political leaders to support Jordan’s Development (Harriett Baldwin): The UK leads the world stability and self-reliance, generating jobs for all, but, in in our support to the Africa-led movement to end particular, for young people, women and refugees. FGM. In 2018, we announced the biggest single investment worldwide to date by any international donor: a UK aid Kate Green: May I associate myself with the comments package of a further £50 million to tackle this issue that the Secretary of State made about DFID staff across the most affected countries in Africa. caught up in the attack in Nairobi? I was pleased to hear that the Prime Minister will be Rachel Maclean: I am sure that I speak for all Members leading the UK-Jordan initiative at the end of this in expressing disappointment that the FGM Bill did not month. The Secretary of State mentions the importance receive its Second Reading in the House last week. I am of the inclusion of refugees and Jordanian women in pleased to see that the Government have committed to the labour market. Will the Government be taking steps bring the Bill back in Government time. Will my hon. to draw to the attention of the Jordanians the barriers Friend confirm that her door always remains open for women face, including those relating to transport, access any Member of this House who wishes to discuss what to childcare and a sense of physical safety? the Government are doing to stop this appalling crime? Penny Mordaunt: First, I thank the hon. Lady for her Harriett Baldwin: I am pleased to be able to confirm interest in this tremendously important conference, which that, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, is a real turning point for Jordan. We are absolutely wearing her gender equalities hat, has reached out looking to secure investment in that country to enable to my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch the public funds to build that infrastructure to support (Sir Christopher Chope). She hopes to sit down with everyone getting to work. Unless women and refugees him and other colleagues should they wish to discuss are included, we will fail in that task. this important issue. 867 Oral Answers 13 FEBRUARY 2019 Oral Answers 868 Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab): Since I got my Harriett Baldwin: I encourage the hon. Lady to continue Female Genital Mutilation Bill through Parliament in with that confidence. We can point to a strong track 2003, we have had only one successful prosecution. record of working on this issue, not only in the UK but That is a disgrace and I feel embarrassed talking about with some of the African-led initiatives in African the eradication of FGM in other countries, but I wish countries. She will have heard it announced during the to ask about what is being done in Kurdistan. My past urgent question on Monday that the Chief Whip has experience leads me to believe there is a problem with committed to taking forward the UK legislation as FGM there, so are we tackling it? quickly as possible. Harriett Baldwin: The right hon. Lady is absolutely Yemen right to highlight the fact that FGM happens in many countries in the world. The DFID funding that I mentioned 3. Ellie Reeves (Lewisham West and Penge) (Lab): and the work that we have been doing has been focused What recent assessment she has made of the level of specifically on 17 African countries. In that regard, I am humanitarian assistance required in Yemen. [909193] pleased that 8,000 communities, representing more than 24 million people, have pledged to give up the practice. 8. Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con): What recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): Will the [909198] Minister tell us why the Government have not introduced legislation—they control the House and could get it through—rather than leave it to the vagaries of a private The Minister of State, Department for International Member’s Bill? If they are interested in it, they should Development (Alistair Burt): Yemen remains the world’s do something about it. largest humanitarian crisis, with nearly 80% of the population requiring humanitarian assistance. The UN is set to launch a new $4 billion appeal for 2019 later Harriett Baldwin: My hon. Friend would lead me this month, at a pledging conference at which I hope to down paths that are best left to the Government Whips represent the UK. The UK is providing £170 million and the Ministry of Justice, but the UK does of course this financial year,including enough food for the equivalent believe that we can work with some of the citizen-led of 4 million Yemenis for a month. movements in Africa to change perceptions around FGM. Ellie Reeves: More than 3 million people have been internally displaced and thousands killed in Yemen, Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP): mainly as a result of the Saudi coalition bombing The Minister alluded to the Africa-led initiative, which campaign. Last year, the cholera outbreak affected has been positive, but will she not undertake to be much 200,000 people. More than 22 million people are reliant more emphatic in trying to co-ordinate an Africa-wide on humanitarian aid and millions of children are unable initiative to eliminate this vile practice? to go to school. When will the Government stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia and work towards an end to the Harriett Baldwin: The hon. Gentleman is right to conflict? highlight the fact that this is a worldwide effort. We focus our efforts in countries where the practice is most Alistair Burt: The situation in relation to the conflict widespread and where there is the greatest opportunity has moved on a degree with the fragile peace agreed in to work with the African-led movements to really effect the Stockholm agreement. That fragile ceasefire and change on the ground. redeployment of forces continues, as a result of which the humanitarian situation is improving. The latest Mrs Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con): We figures I have show that in January commercial and have just had the first prosecution for FGM in this humanitarian imports via sea, over land and via container country; what more can this country do to prevent met 94% of monthly food requirements and 83% of families from taking their girls abroad to have FGM monthly fuel requirements.