Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18564, whether further funding will be provided to countries outside Syria that are housing Syrian refugees in addition to the £1 billion committed for reconstruction inside Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US. Of this total, the UK has allocated £559 million to support refugees in the region and vulnerable host communities.

In line with the current UK Aid Strategy, DFID will allocate 50% of its spending to fragile and conflict-affected states and regions, including Syria and the surrounding region, over this Parliament. In addition the Government has pledged to create a £500 million Overseas Development Assistance crisis reserve to allow still greater flexibility to respond to emerging crises such as the displacement of Syrian refugees.