Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Wednesday Volume 523 16 February 2011 No. 120 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 16 February 2011 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2011 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 939 16 FEBRUARY 2011 940 one to which I referred. Britain is not in the lead on House of Commons Haiti—this is very much an American, French and Canadian lead—but we are, as he explained, giving Wednesday 16 February 2011 strong support through international and multilateral agencies, including the UN and the World Bank. The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Mark Lazarowicz: We certainly welcome the fact that British aid is helping the poor and most vulnerable in PRAYERS Haiti. We support that, but unfortunately, it is a different story just 100 miles north of Haiti in the Turks and [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Caicos Islands, to which the Department for International Development has just agreed to write an unprecedented loan of £160 million, which is much greater than any Oral Answers to Questions previous support for a British overseas territory. Surely the priority for DFID in the Caribbean should be meeting the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT places such as Haiti, so may I ask the Secretary of State— The Secretary of State was asked— Mr Speaker: Order. The question must relate to Haiti Haiti and only to Haiti. 1. Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con): What recent Mr Mitchell: The hon. Gentleman refers to problems assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation some miles away from Haiti. However, if I may say so, in Haiti. [40971] he has a bit of a brass neck. We inherited a terrible mess in the area not far from Haiti to which he refers, and it is The Secretary of State for International Development thanks to the brilliant work conducted by the Minister (Mr Andrew Mitchell): Although the number of people of State that the British taxpayer has now given a in camps in Haiti has fallen by half to 800,000 since last guarantee, which hopefully will allow the place not far July, Haiti continues to face serious humanitarian challenges. from Haiti to sort out its problems without further cost to the British taxpayer. Caroline Dinenage: The President of Haiti famously said that it would take a thousand trucks a thousand Mr Speaker: We now know more about Haiti and days to clear the devastation, but the people do not have some miles away. a thousand days, because they are suffering disease and crime, and they do not have a thousand trucks. What India more can the international community do to tackle the problem? 2. Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): What his Department’s policy is on providing aid to India; and if Mr Mitchell: My hon. Friend is right to identify the he will make a statement. [40972] scale of the damage and of what is required to put it right. We are working directly on tackling the threat of The Secretary of State for International Development cholera, and working through the UN and the World (Mr Andrew Mitchell): From now on in India, we will Bank on some of the more serious aspects of what focus our support on three of the poorest states. Our needs to happen to bring the relief that is required . programme will change to reflect the importance of the role of the private sector and private enterprise. Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab/ Co-op): I advise you, Mr Speaker, and the House, that Philip Davies: India spends $36 billion a year on my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for defence and $750 million on a space programme. It has Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), the shadow one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and Secretary of State, cannot be here today because she is is developing its own overseas aid programme. Given on jury service. that we must cut public expenditure in this country, will As well direct assistance to Haiti, which we support, the Secretary of State accept that many of my constituents Britain has contributed more than $100 million through will think that such aid to India is now unjustifiable? multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and the European Union, as the Secretary of State said. Mr Mitchell: That is why our programme in India is Does he agree that it is important for the UK to in transition, why we will focus on three of the poorest continue to make substantial contributions to such states in the country and why, over the next four years, organisations if the world community is to provide the up to half the programme will transition into pro-poor scale of long-term support for reconstruction that Haiti private sector investment. That is the right way for us to requires? position our development work in the partnership with India, which is of course much wider than development, Mr Mitchell: The hon. Gentleman is right to put it and which the Prime Minister very significantly re-energised that way. Britain was a key part of the immediate, in his major visit last year. emergency relief in the aftermath of those dreadful events in Haiti. There was generous support from across Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab): I congratulate Britain through the Disasters Emergency Committee the Secretary of State on continuing with the £280 million appeal, and we made a number of specific surgical each year to India. That is vital given that India has a interventions towards the end of last year, including the quarter of the world’s poorest people living within its 941 Oral Answers16 FEBRUARY 2011 Oral Answers 942 borders. How does he intend to focus the aid in those 5. Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con): On what date three states, particularly with regard to the health of he expects the next Friends of Yemen meeting to take young women? place; and if he will make a statement. [40975] Mr Mitchell: The hon. Gentleman is right that there The Minister of State, Department for International are more poor people in India than in the whole of Development (Mr Alan Duncan): We expect the next sub-Saharan Africa. He is right, too, that we should Friends of Yemen meeting to take place in Riyadh at focus on the poorest areas, and particularly on the role the end of March. I visited Saudi Arabia last weekend of girls and women. Over future years, we expect to be and was afterwards with the Foreign Secretary in Yemen. able to assist in ensuring that up to 4 million women We are continuing to work with both countries to agree have access to income through micro-finance and through a firm date for the next meeting. focusing particularly on livelihoods. We will also support, of course, the strong programme on education in India. Rehman Chishti: Given the turmoil in the region, About 60 million children have been got into school what is the Minister’s assessment of the situation in over the last four or five years, which is a tremendous Yemen and of the Friends of Yemen process? How will tribute to the work of the Indian Government, but it it stop the state failing and assist in an orderly succession would not have been possible without the intervention and economic progress following the commitment by of aid and support from Britain and elsewhere. the President not to stand at the next election? Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): Does the Secretary Mr Duncan: Recent events demonstrate more than of State agree that it is worth recording that to lift the ever the importance of the Friends of Yemen process to poorest people in India out of poverty by $1 a day prevent state failure in that country. I welcome President would cost $166 billion a year, so it is appropriate to Saleh’s speech on 2 February, committing to follow the continue our transitional arrangements with India? The constitution of Yemen and not to seek re-election after International Development Committee will visit India 2013. Through the Friends of Yemen process, we will next month and we will want to see how DFID’s work to support political reform and the right of all relationship with the country, albeit with a relatively Yemenis to participate legitimately and democratically small amount in comparison with the challenge of the in their political future. problem, can deliver an accelerated reduction of poverty there. Mark Pritchard: Is it not the case that a secure and prosperous Yemen is very much in the UK national Mr Mitchell: I am grateful to the Chairman of the security interest? Will my right hon. Friend inform the Select Committee for that comment and also to the House what new measures have been put in place to Select Committee itself for going to look with care at ensure that those objectives are delivered? development in India and the operation of our programme there. He accurately identifies the scale of need. It is Mr Duncan: We have seen substantial progress on worth noting that the number of the Indian population many fronts since the New York Friends of Yemen living on less than 80p a day is 7.5 times the total meeting, and I particularly highlight the Yemeni population of Britain.