Tag: The Lord Bishop of Southwark

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the presence of Daesh in Gaza and the West Bank.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government’s assessment is that there are groups and individuals in the West Bank and (primarily) in Gaza who sympathise with or self-identify as Daesh but are not formally affiliated with them. We remain concerned about a possible Daesh presence and continue to monitor the situation closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any shortfall in international humanitarian funding in Iraq; and what steps they are taking to address that.

Baroness Verma

The UN has launched an appeal for $861 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Iraq in 2016. According to the UN, as of 29 March 2016, the appeal is 15% funded.

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, which allocates funding to the most urgent gaps in the humanitarian response in Iraq. DFID is assessing future support to Iraq through the Bilateral Aid Review process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the Department for International Development’s humanitarian effort in Iraq has been transferred to partners and agencies working in Iraq.

Baroness Verma

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. With the exception of emergency humanitarian supplies delivered by the UK to Iraq in summer 2014, all of this funding is delivered through UN agencies and NGO partners working in Iraq – including through those who have access to some of the most challenging areas. The Department for International Development does not provide any direct financial support to the Government of Iraq or Kurdistan Regional Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support efforts to demine areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government of Iraq is committed to stabilising areas which have been liberated from Daesh. This includes providing security, including through demining efforts, to enable civilians to return. The UK, along with our partners in the Global Coalition, is supporting the Government of Iraq to do this. This includes providing £2.5 million to the UN Development Programme’s stabilisation fund for Iraq, and £225,000 to the UN Mine Action Service to establish a unit to assess the problem and coordinate donor support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of internally displaced persons (1) in Iraq, (2) in Iraq who have returned to their homes, and (3) in Iraq who have left Iraq.

Baroness Verma

As of 28 March, the International Organisation for Migration estimates that there are just over 3.4 million Iraqis who have been displaced by fighting since January 2014. 547,600 individuals are reported to have returned to their homes. We do not hold information on the number of Internally Displaced Persons who have left Iraq because those people leaving Iraq include both IDPs and economic migrants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of Syrian refugees scheduled for resettlement to the UK are located in refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Lord Keen of Elie

We work closely with The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin.

We cannot therefore provide long term forecasts relating to the location of refugees within the region but have agreed a timetable of referrals. Volumes will vary, it is therefore not possible to give a percentage figure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 1 April (HL7307), what steps they are taking with their international allies and partners to redress the financial shortfall in humanitarian assistance to Iraq.

Baroness Verma

The UK monitors levels of humanitarian assistance in Iraq extremely closely. In our work with both the Government of Iraq and international donors, we continue to stress the importance of providing sufficient funding to respond to urgent needs across Iraq. We also work closely with others donors, NGOs, the UN and international financial institutions to ensure that commitments made are effectively spent, and targeted towards those in the greatest need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 1 April (HL7307), when they expect the Department for International Development to complete its assessment of the future support to Iraq through the Bilateral Aid Review process.

Baroness Verma

The final phase of the Bilateral Aid Review is currently underway, and we will be publishing in the early summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conditions facing Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

Baroness Verma

The situation for many refugees in Jordan is challenging, irrespective of nationality. Services are provided by the international community and the Government of Jordan based on a system of prioritisation of the most vulnerable and Iraqi refugees are included in this system. Like all refugees, Iraqis are registered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and access assistance from UN agencies, international NGOs and national NGOs. Partners assess vulnerability in Jordan at individual, community and household levels. These vulnerability assessments take into account positive coping strategies and support networks, which are understood to be better established among the Iraqi community, including through religious institutions such as mosques and churches.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to include vulnerable Iraqi refugees in Jordan who are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in their resettlement plans.

Lord Bates

The UK operates three resettlement routes, Gateway, Mandate and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) Scheme, working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on each.

There are no current plans to resettle Iraqis registered with UNHCR and currently seeking refuge in Jordan under any of our resettlement schemes. However, we plan to continue to resettle Iraqi refugees currently in Syria under the Gateway programme. The case load for the Gateway programme is reviewed annually in consultation with UNHCR.