T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. (908132)

Last Friday, Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, causing widespread destruction.  Working closely with the Governments of Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand, the UK has made up to £2 million available to UN organisations and relief agencies working on the ground. In addition, the Royal Air Force’s swift action is providing further valuable support, alongside the rapid response facility that we launched.

My hon. Friend will be aware that since the last DFID questions I have been to Sierra Leone to see our work gradually bearing down on Ebola. I am proud that the private Member’s Bill introduced by the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore) has completed its parliamentary stages and now awaits Royal Assent.

That certainly was comprehensive.

Volunteers in my constituency who had hoped to visit Sierra Leone to build a new school have, sadly, been forced to postpone their plans owing to the Ebola outbreak. However, will the Secretary of State join me in welcoming the York Circuit Ebola appeal run by those same volunteers, which aims to raise much needed funds for those affected by the epidemic?

I pay tribute to the work of the York Circuit on its Ebola appeal. I know how valuable that work is in helping to set up emergency education programmes. We have worked with UNICEF to set up care centres across the country. I hope the volunteers in my hon. Friend’s constituency can get on with their wonderful work shortly. [Interruption.]

Order. It would help the House and people attending to our proceedings if the answers could be heard.

T3. What is the Secretary of State’s assessment of the strength of the Commission on the Status of Women’s political declaration and its implications for women’s rights? (908134)

As the hon. Lady will know, this year’s CSW was a vital discussion in order to make sure that we do not slide backwards on women’s rights, but position ourselves to get a stand-alone gender goal and mainstreamed improvements on tackling women’s rights across the new post-2015 framework. As it was hard for me to hear the whole of the hon. Lady’s question, I will check Hansard and write to her with a fuller response.

T2. Given the need to ensure in these dangerous times that our armed forces are properly funded, does my right hon. Friend agree that peacekeeping operations should be paid for in their entirety from the foreign aid budget, and that no cost should come out of the armed forces budget? (908133)

My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that currently a percentage of peacekeeping operations count as official development assistance. That is currently 7%, although I am sure he would like it to be higher. He will be pleased to hear that a review is under way to understand what element of peacekeeping can be classed as aid and it will report shortly.

T7. One of my excellent community groups in Saddleworth supports Palestinian women into education. Members of the group inform me that one of the education centres that they know well was recently ransacked by Israeli forces. The education centre is in Palestinian territory. Does the Secretary of State agree that not only are these actions illegal, but they jeopardise future sustainable peace in the region? (908138)

Much of our work in the occupied Palestinian territories focuses on providing basic services, including education. At the Cairo conference one of the main concerns of donors was the need to end the perpetual cycle of violence, reconstruction, then destruction and violence and the need for more reconstruction. I agree with the hon. Lady that this cannot continue ad nauseam.

T4. Last month my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) and I had the honour of meeting Eileen Lodge, who has committed 60 years of her life to working for the poor and sick in Nepal. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the work of her Department would be impossible without the dedication of hundreds of millions of people, of all nationalities, who serve in difficult and dangerous situations, often for little or no financial reward? (908135)

Eileen is a fantastic example of someone who has worked in a country tirelessly for several decades now. I know that she is particularly focused on Nepal and has worked on leprosy. I really want to pay tribute to the work done by her and by so many millions of others.