Tag: Lord Bruce of Bennachie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider re-opening a bilateral development programme in Burundi, in the light of recent violence in that country.

Baroness Verma

The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi, and its humanitarian consequences, including the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.

DFID offices across the region, including in Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, are working closely to monitor the situation, review preparedness activities and provide humanitarian support. £18.15 million has been committed by DFID for refugee response in the region through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and international NGOs. This funding includes £14.25 million to support refugees in Tanzania, and £3.9 million to support refugees in Rwanda. We are staying in close contact with the UN system about future funding needs. Additionally, DFID is working closely with the FCO to coordinate HMG’s response, and international partners such as the EU on Article 96 discussions, to ensure that humanitarian assistance continues to reach those in need.

DFID is monitoring the situation closely and may consider additional funding. DFID has deployed a Humanitarian Advisor to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far.

DFID is currently undertaking a Bilateral Aid Review, but there are no plans to reopen the DFID office in Burundi.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-09-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific support they provide to deaf children in developing countries.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

People with disabilities are the largest minority group globally. An estimated one billion people have a disability globally, 80% of whom live in developing countries. People with disabilities are often the poorest in their community and many face considerable levels of stigma, discrimination and persecution.

DFID follows a ‘twin-track’ approach to disability inclusion. This means we aim to attach priority to disability in all our policies and programmes as well as supporting disability-targeted programmes.

Over the last two years, DFID has strengthened our capacity to work on disability inclusion, including by appointing a director-level champion, employing three full-time staff to work solely on disability, and developing a group of Internal Disability Expert Advisers from across our organisation.

DFID’s efforts to date have included:

• Furnishing schools with equipment and training teachers so children with disabilities can get a quality education.
• Providing grants to local Disabled People Organisations, allowing people with disabilities to come together and lobby governments on the issues which affect them.
• Collecting data on disability so we can fully understand the scale of impact and how best to support those people it affects.

For example, two projects in the UK’s flagship Girls Education Challenge are exclusively focused on addressing the issue that girls with disabilities are less likely to access education. Specific interventions include provision of assistive devices and scholastic materials for girls with hearing impairments and improvement of teacher skills to enable them to communicate in sign language, which has encouraged parents to enrol their children in schools.