Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): I
congratulate the right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on securing
this debate. I am speaking as a member not of the all-party group on Yemen but
of the International Development Committee, which in the next few weeks will
commence an inquiry into concerns relating to the people of Yemen. I am
delighted that this debate has been brought forward before we commence that
inquiry. Indeed, we will no doubt want to look carefully at the all-party
group’s report, which is being published today.
It is
well said that when sorrows come, they come not singly but in battalions; in the
case of the Yemeni civilians, that takes on too literal a meaning. This debate
is crucial in highlighting the concerns that many in this House and more widely
in this country have about the suffering of the people of Yemen and the dire
plight of millions there.
As we
have rightly raised awareness of the damage caused by the civil war in Syria, so
it is equally important to do so in regard to the suffering of tens of millions
of Yemenis who are seeing their country so sadly and swiftly destroyed, bit by
bit. Four thousand civilians are dead, 1.4 million people are displaced and 1.8
million children are at risk of malnutrition. A staggering 84% of Yemen’s
population is in need of humanitarian aid. Bombing and artillery have further
damaged infrastructure, including electricity and water supplies, leaving 20.9
million people in need of water, sanitation and hygiene support.
On food,
6.8 million people are facing a food security crisis, with a further 6 million
facing a food security emergency. There has been a 150% increase in hospital
admissions for malnutrition, and as many as 1.6 million children under the age
of five could be suffering from acute malnutrition. On health, half of the
country’s governorates are unable to provide out-patient healthcare due to
shortages of medical supplies, medical staff and fuel to run generators. That
has coincided with a substantial increase in the number of patients suffering
from critical injuries and illnesses. Some 15 million people—more than 60% of
the population—are in need of basic healthcare assistance. On education, 3,500
schools have closed due to insecurity. The list goes on.
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I pay
tribute to the humanitarian workers. The right hon. Member for Leicester East
mentioned some, and I add to them those from Save the Children, who continue to
serve in dangerous conditions.
I hope
the Minister will agree that we need to look at doing more on aid for the people
of Yemen. Currently, as I understand it, some £72 million has been deployed by
DFID in Yemen. That is a substantial sum and we can rightly be proud of all the
UK aid provided across the world. When the International Development Committee
travels to different countries, it is always stated that the intelligent and
effective way in which UK aid is used is second to none. However, when we
compare the £1.1 billion that the Government are now spending in various ways to
help refugees from Syria and the surrounding areas, we see that the £72 million
being provided for the people of Yemen needs to be reviewed.
Does the
Foreign Office Minister agree? I understand he is not a Minister at the
Department for International Development and may therefore need to take these
questions back, but does he agree that, in the light of the dire plight and
suffering of Yemen’s people, there is great merit to more being expended through
DFID to help relieve the suffering of these poor people of whom we in this House
are now aware? We cannot say we do not know of their suffering.
