Wednesday Volume 639 18 April 2018 No. 123 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 18 April 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/. 301 18 APRIL 2018 302 security. We have made some commitments on malaria House of Commons during CHOGM, and there will be a malaria summit this evening. Wednesday 18 April 2018 13. [904713] Dr Paul Williams (Stockton South) (Lab): Will the Government use CHOGM to give a message to The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Uganda’s President Museveni that, after 32 years in power,he has become a barrier to his country’sdevelopment and that good governance includes leaving office? PRAYERS Penny Mordaunt: Clearly, the Foreign Secretary, my [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] hon. Friend the Minister for Africa and other Ministers, will be having bilaterals all week with Commonwealth Heads Government and with their Ministers when those Oral Answers to Questions Heads of Government are not attending. Mrs Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con): Killer diseases such as malaria are a huge barrier to the attainment of the sustainable development goals. Will INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT the Secretary of State join me in welcoming today’s malaria summit, which will accelerate global action to The Secretary of State was asked— tackle this deadly disease, and continue to back and thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? CHOGM: Sustainable Development Goals Penny Mordaunt: The House need take it not from 1. Sarah Jones (Croydon Central) (Lab): What steps me, but can take it from Bill and Melinda Gates, that the Government are taking to ensure that the this nation has played a huge role. The British public Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting promotes should be immensely proud of the efforts that have been the sustainable development goals. [904701] made to combat malaria. It is still a huge problem, particularly in Commonwealth countries, and we are The Secretary of State for International Development determined to eradicate it. (Penny Mordaunt): We will be working with our Commonwealth partners to ensure that we address the 9. [904709] Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP): global goals by discussion and commitments across all Tackling climate change is crucial to meeting the SDGs, the goals, but particularly those on prosperity, education and we discussed that with the President of Malawi and global health. when he visited Parliament yesterday. Is the Secretary of State aware of the letter published by more than Sarah Jones: Goal 16 of the sustainable development 170 faith leaders of a range of religions from across the goals includes a commitment to provide legal identity Commonwealth calling on CHOGM leaders to turn for all by 2030. Is the Secretary of State ashamed that words into action? What leadership is the UK Government her Government destroyed thousands of landing cards showing in achieving the Paris agreement goal of keeping of those arriving from Commonwealth nations and are climate change emissions below 1.5° C? now trying to throw those people out? Penny Mordaunt: The Prime Minister of Jamaica Penny Mordaunt: I should thank the hon. Lady for referred yesterday to climate change as an existential affording me the opportunity to associate myself with threat, and he was absolutely right to do so. Prior to the remarks of the Prime Minister yesterday. This has CHOGM, we had been working with our Commonwealth been an appalling episode taking place during CHOGM partners to work up concrete proposals and commitments, week, and she took the opportunity yesterday to apologise and we have had many meetings this week, including and to provide reassurances to Commonwealth partners one particularly focused on small island states, which as well as to people here. It is important to reiterate that are disproportionately affected by this issue. anyone who answered Britain’s call all those years ago has the right to remain and call Britain home. The Kate Osamor (Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op): I associate Home Office has, as the hon. Lady knows, put in place myself with what my hon. Friend the Member for new measures to ensure that no one should have any Croydon Central (Sarah Jones) said. I must say that an concerns about the process. apology from the Government is not good enough, because we need to look at the wider picture. The 12. [904712] Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con): I thank Government have threatened to deport the Windrush my right hon. Friend for her answer, particularly on generation and have extended their hostile environment health. Will she rededicate herself to the elimination of to Commonwealth citizens who are legally here. They malaria, polio and other such diseases across the are unable to provide data on how many have been Commonwealth? wrongly detained or deported, and they have even destroyed their landing cards. Exactly what kind of signal does Penny Mordaunt: In my speech last week, I reiterated that send to our Commonwealth partners? I ask the that programmes on health are one of the best ways Secretary of State to raise these issues with the former that we can use UK aid, providing a win for the developing Home Secretary and tell her that this is not the global world and also contributing to our own global health Britain that we want to build. 303 Oral Answers 18 APRIL 2018 Oral Answers 304 Penny Mordaunt: I thank the hon. Lady for those the ports, although the hon. Gentleman is right that the comments. Whatever the policy intent, it is quite wrong lack of commercial shipping now coming into Hodeidah if it is not delivering the effect that it should in practice—if by choice is an extra burden. people are not reassured and cannot get the answers to basic questions, or if the process is moving so slowly Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con): Given the scale of the that the person is denied access to healthcare, for example. humanitarian crisis in Yemen, I welcome the role that I am pleased that the Home Office has now gripped this the UK is playing in funding the global relief effort. issue and is determined to put those wrongs right. The Will the Minister confirm what more work his Department Prime Minister is providing that reassurance, not just in plans to do to ensure that we can get the aid to where it what she said in public yesterday but in in the bilaterals is needed within Yemen? that she and I have had with members of the Commonwealth. Alistair Burt: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments. On 3 April, DFID announced an additional Kate Osamor: I thank the Secretary of State for her £170 million for the new financial year in response to answer. Last week, she set out her new vision for UK the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We work with all aid, saying that it should act as a “shield” against partners to ensure that there is greater access and a migration. Does she really believe that the British public greater prospect of resolution of the conflict through want to see our aid budget—meant for poverty reduction— the new UN special envoy Martin Griffiths. being used to prop up her Prime Minister’s hostile Chris Law (Dundee West) (SNP): I welcome the steps environment? that the Department is taking to secure continued humanitarian access to Yemen, and urge Ministers to Penny Mordaunt: The hon. Lady has misquoted me; I do the same in Syria in the light of recent events. Does did not say that. Clearly, migration is a very positive the Minister foresee humanitarian grounds for military thing. The migration that happened with the Windrush, intervention in Yemen, as those were apparently the for example, was hugely beneficial to Britain and, I grounds for action in Syria? In any event, will he confirm— hope, to those individuals, but other issues will be unequivocally and without exception—that none of the exacerbated if we do not create jobs and prosperity in 0.7% aid budget, which is for the world’s poorest and Africa. I remind the hon. Lady and other Members that most vulnerable, will be used to fund military activities? thousands of people have lost their lives in transit across the Mediterranean. We need to do more to Alistair Burt: There is no prospect of United Kingdom alleviate poverty in Africa. People should not have to military action in Yemen. The humanitarian efforts are leave their homes, cross the sea via people traffickers going on at the same time as seeking to resolve the and risk their lives in order to survive. complex political difficulties there. I remind the House of the exceptional difficulties of access in the northern Yemen: Humanitarian Access areas controlled by the Houthis. 2. Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab): What steps her Dan Carden (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab): The Minister’s Department is taking to ensure continued humanitarian Department assured the public at the start of March, access into Yemen. [904702] following the Secretary of State’s trip to the region in December, that humanitarian access in Yemen had been The Minister of State, Department for International restored. However, fuel imports are estimated to be just Development (Alistair Burt): The UK has led the call for 30% of what is needed, with food imports at just 9%. unhindered humanitarian and commercial access to Bombing of port areas also continues. Why did the Yemen, including through the UK co-ordinated Security Secretary of State sign a £100 million aid partnership Council statement of 15 March, the Secretary of State’s with Saudi Arabia in March, without insisting on full, visit to Riyadh in December and lobbying from the permanent aid access in Yemen? Prime Minister.