PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Yemen: Humanitarian Aid (12 December 2018)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the World Food Programme announcement that there has been a nearly 50 per cent decrease in operations at Hodeidah port in recent weeks.

Asked by:
Ian Murray (Labour)

Red Sea Ports are currently operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely. For most of this year imports have been robust and in some cases exceeded pre-war levels. We are however concerned about recent reports of a reduction of imports into Yemen.

To maintain confidence of commercial importers, the UK recently worked with the US, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to agree measures with the Central Bank of Yemen to issue letters of credit to provide foreign currency so that importers can purchase food on international markets. This will help strengthen imports. It has also resulted in an appreciation of the Yemeni Riyal, increasing the purchasing power of ordinary Yemenis.

It is imperative the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef remain operational. Yemen relies on imports to meet 90% of its basic needs like food and fuel. We therefore welcome the positive outcomes of peace talks in Stockholm. A political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Answered by:
Alistair Burt (Conservative)
17 December 2018