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Wednesday Volume 647 10 October 2018 No. 186 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 10 October 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 121 10 OCTOBER 2018 122 Alistair Burt: The £170 million that the United Kingdom House of Commons is putting into Yemen in this financial year is currently feeding around 2.2 million people, including children. Wednesday 10 October 2018 We continue to work on nutrition and sanitary issues, and on making sure that clean water is available. I The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock repeat to the House that the most important thing is that the humanitarian support and efforts to gain access are only a sticking plaster for the wound; if the wound PRAYERS is to be fully closed, every effort must be made on the political track to end the conflict. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Stephen Twigg (Liverpool, West Derby) (Lab/Co-op): The UK can indeed be proud of our efforts on the Oral Answers to Questions humanitarian side, but I agree with the Minister that we need to do more on the political track. What are we actually doing now to sustain pressure on all parties to the conflict? In particular, what are we doing to build INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT the coalition that we need in the Security Council to secure a new resolution that is relevant to the circumstances The Secretary of State was asked— in Yemen today? Yemen Alistair Burt: The consensus in the Security Council 1. Lyn Brown (West Ham) (Lab): What recent assessment is that the best thing we can do is support the envoy, she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. because a new resolution would either not get through [906947] or not be relevant. We do not want to waste any time on efforts away from the special envoy. While we were in The Minister of State, Department for International New York, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary Development (Alistair Burt): Perhaps, Mr Speaker, on had a meeting with the relevant parties, and separately I behalf of those who were in the Chamber a moment met those in the coalition, as well as people representing ago, you might convey to the Chaplain our thanks for those who have influence with the Houthis, because this her preface to her prayers today. Let us hope that that is not a one-sided issue. spirit goes with us during what could be quite a turbulent term. Her words were well chosen. Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con): The biggest tragedy of Some 20.2 million Yemenis are estimated to need Yemen is that ultimately it is a man-made disaster that humanitarian assistance, with 8.4 million facing extreme is having this appalling impact on the local population. food shortages. Insecurity and bureaucratic constraints Will the Minister confirm how the UK Government complicate the diplomatic response. We continue to will support efforts towards a political solution, which work with partners to reach the most vulnerable, and is the only solution to these issues? we urge all parties to ensure unhindered access through Yemen. Only a political settlement can end the humanitarian Alistair Burt: We were very supportive of the efforts crisis. of special envoy Martin Griffiths to bring the parties together in Geneva recently,and we were very disappointed Lyn Brown: The Minister knows that I respect him, and concerned that the Houthi component did not and I am grateful to him for that answer, but the United attend those negotiations. Until the negotiations are Nations says that we are losing our fight to save lives in fully engaged with by all sides, we cannot proceed. All Yemen. Some people are so desperate that they are efforts must be made to support the special envoy and eating leaves, and there have been more than a million get the negotiations back on track. cases of cholera in the past 18 months alone. What urgent and immediate action can we in this country take to prevent such huge loss of lives? Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): Yemen is bleeding to death. This could be the first time in modern history Alistair Burt: The truth is that the Security Council that an entire country has been reduced to famine and has invested all its authority in the special envoy to seek poverty by the actions, in part, of our allies. One the political negotiation that will end the conflict. We hundred Members have signed a letter to the Prime should all be fully behind that. When I was in New York Minister asking her to condemn further attacks on the for the recent General Assembly week, I hosted a special port of Hodeidah. Will the Minister repeat today the meeting on nutrition in Yemen. We continue to work to Government’s commitment that they do not want to see try to make the negotiations a success. That is where we any further action taken against the port, which would have to put all our effort, because it is only with the end cause the death of a further quarter of a million people? of the conflict that we can fully tackle the humanitarian crisis. Alistair Burt: We have always been clear, first, that there is no military solution in Yemen, and secondly, Stephen Kerr (Stirling) (Con): Some 17.8 million Yemenis that the port has to be kept open. There should not be have no reliable access to food and, as the Minister just action in relation to the port, either by those who might told us, 8.4 million of them face extreme food shortages. have mined the approaches to it or those who might What steps is the Department taking to ensure that vital seek to attack it, because humanitarian access remains UK aid can reach Yemenis in distress? crucial. Yemen is a tragedy of significant proportions, 123 Oral Answers 10 OCTOBER 2018 Oral Answers 124 as the right hon. Gentleman knows. We are doing make the rapid, unprecedented and far-reaching transitions everything we can to find the political solution to end that will be needed to avoid similar crises in future? the conflict. Harriett Baldwin: We certainly welcome the report, Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP): One of the and I hope the hon. Gentleman welcomes the Government’s major issues is access to finance and the soaring cost of commitment to contributing £5.8 billion between 2016 basic commodities in Yemen. The UN special envoy, and 2020 to make a difference in this area. Since 2011, Martin Griffiths, has said that the best way to resolve 47 million people have been helped to cope with the Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is to fix the economy and effects of climate change and 17 million have been stem a slide in the riyal. Are the UK Government helped to access clean energy, but there is more to do participating in action on that matter? and we will do it. Alistair Burt: Since July, the riyal has depreciated by Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): Anyone who some 20%. That, as the hon. Lady says, is putting up the has been to Kerala knows it is a beautiful state with prices of basic foodstuffs, which had already increased beautiful people. Has my hon. Friend had a chance to in recent years. Of course, in a war economy, people discuss with UK water companies their charity,WaterAid, have made money: the Houthi have taxed goods and and what they can do to help? taken money from people instead of supplying goods. We are doing what we can to support the riyal, because Harriett Baldwin: The Indian Government are of some stability in the currency is essential. The UK is course leading on this, and I am sure that they will note supporting that process, too. my hon. Friend’s suggestion. He has clearly had the pleasure of visiting that beautiful part of India. I should Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op): say that Kerala is open again for tourism, and I know Save the Children is warning that 5.2 million children in that the return of tourists would be welcomed. Yemen are at risk of famine; meanwhile, an estimated 350,000 children caught up in the conflict have contracted cholera since April last year. I am sure the Minister Chris Law (Dundee West) (SNP): The recent floods agrees that urgent action is needed. Will he inform the in Kerala and other natural disasters in the world House what urgent steps his Department is taking to tragically highlight the urgency of the global climate ensure that delivery of food and medicine is not hindered crisis. This week, the world’s leading climate scientists by warring parties for strategic gains, but instead reaches stated in a landmark UN report that we have just those who are in desperate need of it? 12 years to keep global warming to a maximum 1.5º C, and the World Bank has already committed to ending upstream oil and gas projects by 2019. Can the Minister Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of therefore explain what possible reasons there are for the State has met and spoken regularly with the Minister in UK to continue to fund fossil fuel use, particularly in the United Arab Emirates responsible for coalition countries that are already bearing the worst brunt of efforts to ensure humanitarian access. We have spoken climate change? to those who have access to the Houthi and the areas that they control to make sure there are no blockages there.