Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NAO: Overseas Work

Thursday 6 February 2020 · 1 question

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Adam Afriyie questioned the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission about the need for risk-taking in boosting international trade.
  • The Chairman assured that the NAO understands the necessity for civil servants and Ministers to take risks to learn and grow.
  • The Chairman stated that while the NAO is not risk-averse, it expects Departments to properly evaluate risks.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Adam Afriyie Con Windsor
Business & Trade
Context

The NAO is concerned with ensuring value for money in overseas aid work.

Question

We have some excellent institutions that work towards underpinning our overseas trade and investment, but if we are to boost international trade, we need to increase our appetite for risk. Does the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission agree that a higher number of failed projects will be a sign of success?

Answer from The Prime Minister Edward Leigh

I assure my hon. Friend that that is simply not the case. The NAO recognises that the civil service, and indeed Ministers, occasionally have to take risks, because that is the only way to learn—you learn from failure. We are not risk-averse, but we expect Departments to evaluate risk.

Answered
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