Written question asked by Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 October 2007. It was answered by Shahid Malik (Labour) on Monday, 22 October 2007 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Gaza: Poverty

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of (a) poverty and (b) unemployment levels in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.DFID relies on agencies with a presence in Gaza for humanitarian and poverty updates and does not duplicate these by adding its own regular assessments. For example, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) closely monitor the humanitarian situation and produce regular reports. UNOCHA reports that 87 per cent. of Gazans live below the poverty line of $2.40 daily income.The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that unemployment for Gaza was 32.3 per cent. over the period April to June 2007. However, this figure is an underestimate as it does not include large numbers who have turned to unpaid family labour, are in seasonal employment or who have left the labour force when they could not find work. In addition, the World Bank reported in September that the closure of trade in and out of Gaza has significantly increased redundancies. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that an additional 10 per cent. of employees would like to work more hours if this were possible.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 159564; 465 c49W
Session: 2006-07
Subjects: Economic situation Poverty Unemployment Palestine Gaza Occupied territories
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk