Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Poverty Reduction: ODA

Wednesday 15 July 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

  • Government remains committed to the 0.7% Official Development Assistance commitment, which is legally binding.
  • Department for International Development has been shut down amid the global pandemic.
  • Parliament will determine the framework for scrutiny of the new Department's operations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Byrne Lab Liverpool, West Derby
Foreign Affairs
Context

Discusses concerns over the UK Government's commitment to poverty reduction both domestically and internationally. Highlights the merging of DFID into FCDO amidst a global pandemic.

Question

This Government cannot be trusted to tackle poverty here in the UK, and nor can they be trusted to tackle poverty overseas. In the middle of a global pandemic that is pushing millions into poverty, this Government have shut down the Department for International Development and dissolved a dedicated parliamentary Committee so that they can avoid scrutiny of aid spending. Will the Secretary of State please inform the House of how aid will be scrutinised from now on?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan (The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, International Development)

This Government remain absolutely committed to the 0.7% commitment, which is enshrined in law, and that will continue in the framework of the new Department. On scrutiny, clearly it is a question for Parliament how that scrutiny takes place and what the new framework of Committee assessment might be. However, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are absolutely clear that scrutiny should continue to be an absolute focus. It is incredibly important, and all of us as parliamentarians know just how important it is that we watch over, and can provide insight and broader reflection from all those we talk to, to make sure that Government do their best possible. The Government are continuing to support that, and the Foreign Secretary will set out where he hopes to do that in due course.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)