Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Girls’ Education: Covid-19

Tuesday 2 March 2021 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK aid has helped 8 million girls get a decent education over the past five years.
  • The UK aims to ensure 40 million girls have 12 years of quality education by 2026.
  • Kenya will co-host a major summit with the UK in July to progress goals related to girls' education.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Education Women & Equalities
Context

The MP is concerned about ensuring that every girl receives a quality education.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that every girl receives 12 years of quality education. The theme for International Women's Day is 'Choose to Challenge'. Only 66% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, falling to only 25% by upper secondary education.

Answer from Dominic Raab

Over the past five years, UK aid has helped 8 million girls get a decent education. The global ambition is to ensure that 40 million girls have 12 years of quality education by 2026.

Answered
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Q2 Jane Hunt
Women & Equalities
Context

The theme for International Women's Day is 'Choose to Challenge'. According to UNICEF, only 66% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, falling to only 25% by upper secondary education.

Question

Will the Secretary of State reassure me that he will continue working with his international counterparts to ensure that girls do not fall further behind as a result of the pandemic and break down real barriers to girls' education?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Not only do we have a target of 40 million girls getting 12 years of education, but we want 20 million girls to become literate by the age of 10. In July this year, Kenya will co-host a major summit with us to progress these goals.

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Q3 Karen Bradley Con Staffordshire Moorlands
Education Foreign Affairs
Context

UK has world leadership on issues like modern slavery, preventing gender-based violence, and stopping Ebola from becoming a global pandemic.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary confirm his commitment to maintaining overseas development spending on important issues such as girls' education?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Girls' education is a top priority to safeguard. The Prime Minister has appointed the Member for Maidstone and The Weald as the special envoy on girls' education, adding convening power with joint summit hosting.

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Q4 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Context

Educating girls is a foreign policy priority for the UK. G7 presidency offers an opportunity to encourage others to do the same.

Question

Can my right hon. Friend tell me how much ODA spending he will commit to girls' education this year?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Money is being safeguarded and published in the normal way through formal channels in the autumn. The Prime Minister's special envoy has been appointed, and G7 presidency ensures this issue remains at the top of the international agenda.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific funding amount not provided

How: Published Formally, Autumn Publication

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Q5 Preet Kaur Gill Labour (Co-op) Birmingham Edgbaston
Foreign Affairs
Context

UK cut funding to Yemen by 60%, despite previous commitment to prioritizing humanitarian crises.

Question

Does the Foreign Secretary agree that his Government's actions have shown our allies and detractors that his word cannot be trusted?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The UK has been between the third and fifth highest donors into Yemen over the last five years. We have provided more than £1 billion of funding since the conflict began, supporting efforts to find peace there.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Agreement on word trustworthiness not explicitly given

How: Third And Fifth Highest Donors, Supporting Martin Griffiths

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Q6 Preet Kaur Gill Labour (Co-op) Birmingham Edgbaston
Foreign Affairs
Context

The UK is the only G7 nation to cut aid. The US and France have increased their support for the world's poorest.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary immediately publish all the details of the cuts made in 2020 and those projected for 2021? Will he explain his priorities?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Allocations are published formally in the normal way. The new UK aid pledge of £87 million will feed an additional 240,000 vulnerable Yemenis every month, support 400 health clinics and provide clean water for 1.6 million people.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Immediate publication not confirmed

How: Normal Way, Published Formally

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Q7 Thomas Tugendhat Con Tonbridge
Foreign Affairs Women & Equalities
Context

FGM affects many girls across the world, including Nigeria. Recently, girls were released from Zamfara state after being kidnapped.

Question

I welcome the commitment to women's and girls' education but note that female genital mutilation hinders their education in many parts of the world. I welcome the release of girls from Zamfara state recently, but will the Foreign Secretary raise with the Nigerian Government the likelihood that 14 million girls will go through FGM by 2030?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I join him in welcoming the release of kidnapped girls and acknowledge his passionate raising of FGM. We have been leaders in calling out FGM and working with African Governments to end this practice, including in Nigeria.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The likelihood that 14 million girls will go through FGM by 2030 was not directly addressed.

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