(Birmingham, Edgbaston)
(Lab/Co-op): Earlier this summer, it was reported that the
Treasury had blocked aid payments for the duration of the summer
while the Conservative leadership contest ran. I immediately
wrote to the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, asking what that
would mean for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, and
requesting an urgent response; 42 days later, I have heard
nothing back. This at a time when someone reportedly dies every
48 seconds in the horn of Africa hunger crisis. By my estimation,
that means that more than 75,000 may have died. Last night the
World Food Programme issued a stark warning, saying that famine
is “imminent” and Somalia has run out of time.
Can I please finally get some answers today, and seek the
Minister’s reassurance that the new Foreign Secretary will stop
the block on aid payments as an urgent priority?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs ():The UK remains one of the
largest donors of official development assistance in the world.
In Somalia in particular, the situation is
tragic. We have been leading the way with our aid and to bring in
other donors. The hon. Member knows that I announced further
advancements of funding into Somalia from the UK
just last week. We continue to prioritise
Somalia, but it is important that we bring in
other donors, which is why we have worked with the World Bank,
encouraging it to accelerate the $30 billion that it is sending
out across the world into the horn of Africa, which it is now
doing.
