Wednesday Volume 560 13 March 2013 No. 129 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 13 March 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 287 13 MARCH 2013 288 Justine Greening: To date, we have provided about House of Commons £13 million of overall assistance and we will work with agencies such as the UN, the Red Cross and the World Wednesday 13 March 2013 Food Programme to ensure that we have a balanced approach to dealing not just with people in Mali who need our support but, as the hon. Gentleman points The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock out, with the refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries. PRAYERS Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon) (Con): Given that the humanitarian situation is likely to get worse [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] until there is a framework of peace, does the Secretary of State support steps towards a UN peacekeeping mission? If so, what does she make of its mandate and BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS the proposed time scale? ELECTORAL COMMISSION Justine Greening: My hon. Friend is right that discussions THE VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD reported are under way on whether a UN peacekeeping mission to the House, That the address of 4th March, praying can be put in place. Ultimately, if it can sit alongside a that Her Majesty will appoint Gareth John Halliwell to political process of reconciliation, that might be one be an Electoral Commissioner with effect from 13 March way of starting to create the space not only to get 2013 for the period ending on 12 March 2017, was security back into Mali but to provide the conditions presented to Her Majesty, who was graciously pleased for the country to develop in the longer term. to comply with the request. Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Lab): The Mr Speaker: I must advise the House that a deferred Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs Division was omitted in error from the pink ballot estimates that 4.3 million people in Mali are in need of paper distributed with the vote bundle today: four humanitarian assistance. Will the Secretary of State Divisions rather than three should have been shown. A update the House on what her Department is doing to corrected version has been issued and is available from ensure access for humanitarian agencies in Mali and in the Vote Office and in the No Lobby. Members should neighbouring countries? use the corrected version to cast their votes. Votes cast using the incomplete version will be counted for the Justine Greening: The best thing we can do is work three Divisions included on that paper. Votes cast using through independent, impartial humanitarian organisations the corrected paper will be accepted by the Clerks to and, through the UN, continue our lobbying work to replace any earlier votes cast using the incomplete paper, ensure we have access. Access is a real challenge in up to the close of the Divisions. I trust that is clear. places such as Mali and is also, of course, a particular challenge in places such as Syria. Without access, we cannot get humanitarian support to people, and that is Oral Answers to Questions why we focus on it. WaterAid INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2. Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): What support her Department provides to WaterAid. The Secretary of State was asked— [147428] Mali The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Lynne Featherstone): The 1. Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East total funding provided by the Department for International Cleveland) (Lab): What recent assessment she has made Development to WaterAid for the financial year 2011-2012 of the humanitarian situation in Mali. [147427] was £5.8 million. The figure for the funding allocated to The Secretary of State for International Development WaterAid in 2012-13 will be available at the end of this (Justine Greening): More than 430,000 people have financial year. been displaced by the conflict in Mali. Access is improving to conflict-affected areas, but the humanitarian response Miss McIntosh: I thank my hon. Friend for that remains challenged by insecurity and sporadic violence. answer. Will she join me in preparing for world water UK humanitarian aid is supporting more than 400,000 day on 22 March? Will she also recognise the massive Malians with food, medicine and support to refugees in contributions from individuals and others, including neighbouring countries. WaterAid, who contribute to WaterAid, and from projects such as EcoLink, applied by Nestlé in South Africa, as Tom Blenkinsop: I thank the Secretary of State for that all benefits developing countries? her response. More than 250,000 people have been displaced inside Mali and 170,000 Malians have fled to Lynne Featherstone: I thank my hon. Friend. I know neighbouring countries. What additional assistance will of her interest in water as chair of the all-party her Department be providing to internally displaced parliamentary water group and I congratulate all those people and refugees? who make a contribution on the key issue of water in 289 Oral Answers13 MARCH 2013 Oral Answers 290 developing countries. My hon. Friend mentioned world salaries of civil servants. The list of approved recipients water day.The Department for International Development is subject both to vetting processes and to independent will host events on that day, particularly on how water audit. impacts on girls and women. Mr Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab): Does the Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab/ Minister agree that the best way to improve the financial Co-op): It is good that there has been progress on access stability of the Palestinian Authority would be to lift to safe water and sanitation, but there has been much the blockade of Gaza and movement and access restrictions less progress in much of Africa, in both urban and rural on the west bank? Does he also think that the EU areas. What are the Government doing to address that should be trading with the Palestinians and not with the inequality? illegal Israeli settlements? Mr Duncan: A 2011 International Monetary Fund Lynne Featherstone: The Government are taking a report estimated that without movement and access great many measures on water, sanitation and hygiene— restrictions the Palestinian economy would be 78% larger WASH. We have so far enabled 1.9 million to gain in terms of GDP a year, amounting to about $6.3 billion. access to clean drinking water and 2 million to gain That would remove its dependence on aid. access to improved sanitation, and 6.6 million have been reached through DFID support for hygiene John Howell (Henley) (Con): Is there not a more promotion. We know more has to be done, particularly general question about international donor money being in urban areas as those areas increase. used to support Palestinian institutions that have taken violence against Israel? What steps are the Government Mark Durkan (Foyle) (SDLP): I welcome the Minister’s taking to ensure that that money genuinely contributes positive comments on WaterAid and her commitments to financial stability and is not used in a way that in respect of world water day, but does she recognise undermines the peace process? that, currently, UN statistics on the millennium development goals measure only who has improved water, not how Mr Duncan: We rigorously monitor any danger there many people actually have safe and sufficient water? might be that the Palestinian Authority in any way Will she ensure that a more robust standard is used and incites violence, but it is committed to do exactly the is at the centre of DFID’s work? opposite, and it is right that we support it, the potential Government of a Palestinian state. We wish to see Lynne Featherstone: I will certainly take up the hon. further progress towards the peace process over the Gentleman’s point on how we measure such things, but months ahead. the Government have doubled their commitment to reaching 60 million people with WASH funding. We are Anas Sarwar (Glasgow Central) (Lab): We all support looking to scale up WASH, because we simply are not the creation of a viable two-state solution in the middle reaching enough people at the moment and the millennium east, but that will come about only if the Palestinians goal is off track. are able to run an effective country. What assessment have the Government made of the structures available in the Palestinian Authority to make that happen? Palestinian Authority Mr Duncan: The structures are sorely stretched, which 3. Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green) (Con): is why we continue to support the Palestinian Authority, What recent assessment she has made of the financial and of course we also urge other donors, particularly stability of the Palestinian Authority. [147429] the Arab states, to carry their fair share of commitment, because if the Palestinian Authority were to collapse The Minister of State, Department for International there is a serious danger that all prospects of proper Development (Mr Alan Duncan): We estimate that the peace negotiations would collapse as well. Palestinian Authority’s funding gap in 2013 is likely to be at least $500 million, which will continue to make it Mali hard for it to pay salaries and deliver essential public services. The PA must of course show financial discipline 4. Chris Evans (Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op): What itself, but for it to become stable it is essential that discussions she has had with her counterparts in the international donors support it in a consistent manner, UN on reinstating bilateral aid to Mali.