Speeches by Rushworth.

“It is no criticism of you, but I feel as if we are struggling to answer this question. I am not asking it as a challenge so much as I am trying to think through what would be the most meaningful diplomatic action that the UK could take. Do you have any thoughts on that? Can you just take 30 seconds to reply?”

“Do you feel that the UN has leverage? If the UK were to use its role as penholder better, do you feel there would be leverage over the actual situation on the ground?”

“We could suggest it, but what is the likelihood that it would work?”

“If I understand it correctly, it is more difficult in the north than in the south but not impossible thinking about—”

“Where was that funding coming from?”

“Richard, the UK is the penholder for Yemen, as we are for many difficult conflicts at the moment. What leverage do you feel the UK has? As a follow-up to that question, how can we be more effective in our role as penholders?”

“I am wondering whether anyone has leverage. In your first answer, you suggested that the UK has not effectively used its role as penholder at the UN; even if it did, what leverage do you feel it could have?”

“Helen, what about the UK’s regional relationships? Are we sufficiently leveraging those relationships to have any impact?”

“Yes.”

“You can speak to both.”

“Noha, thank you very much for those responses. I am conscious of the time and what we still need to get through. This is a question that I am going to pose to our other participants. It is about the protections in place for aid workers. El-Khidir, could you share your experience of what protection is in place. Konstant…”

“You have gone from $8 million to $3.4 million?”

“You do not have access in the north, is that right?”

“Can I quickly bring Konstantinos in before we finish this section? Briefly, is Médecins Sans Frontières everywhere in Yemen? What barriers and protections do you have in place?”

“Can I ask one question that is off script? Noha, thank you for talking with such candour about some really challenging situations people are facing. You have talked about some services that are being provided to women to relieve suffering. Are there also any civil society level forms of resistance? To what extent is it…”

“It is not impossible to get humanitarian assistance in, but the effect of monitoring is severe. In terms of your organisation, how does that sense of being constantly monitored impact on you?”

“10. What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dental services.”

“I thank the Minister for that answer. In the area that I represent, we have a problem. NHS dental practices in Shildon and in Bishop Auckland closed in the year before the general election, and recently another practice in West Auckland has been writing to patients to say that it cannot provide NHS care. While I respec…”

“I want to change topic now and talk about humanitarian aid access. Would you mind setting out what you see as the main barriers to humanitarian aid in the area?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my friend the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) for the initiative to lead this debate. Although she is not present in the debate, I also pay tribute to the hon. Member for Maidstone and Malling (Helen Grant), who is a great campaigner on this …”