Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Aid Budget Reduction: Covid-19

Tuesday 15 June 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The FCDO has made new public commitments worth up to 1.3 billion of ODA, including programmes amounting to more than 700 million in 2020.
  • The UK announced at the G7 that it will donate 100 million vaccine doses within a year, with 5 million by September.
  • The UK Prime Minister led the G7 to commit to global vaccination by the end of 2022 and shared a plan to distribute 1 billion vaccine doses.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Cunningham Lab
Context

The question arises from concerns over the effects of reducing UK aid budgets, specifically regarding the funding for clean water and sanitation programmes which are crucial in slowing down the spread of the virus.

Question

I am concerned about the potential effect of reductions in the UK aid budget on tackling the covid-19 pandemic. What recent assessment has been made?

Answer from Wendy Morton

The FCDO is committed to tackling the pandemic and has made new public commitments worth up to £1.3 billion of ODA, including programmes amounting to more than £700 million in 2020. The Prime Minister announced at the G7 that the UK will donate 100 million vaccine doses within the next five years, with 5 million by the end of September.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific assessment requested on the impact of budget reductions was not provided in detail.

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Q2 Alex Cunningham Lab
Foreign Affairs
Context

The question is prompted by the Prime Minister's failure to deliver a credible plan for vaccinating the world, coupled with severe cuts in clean water and sanitation programmes.

Question

With the PM not delivering a credible G7 vaccination plan and cutting 80% of clean water and sanitation programmes, does the Minister agree that these actions are devastating for the poorest people and will prolong the pandemic? The failure to deliver on vaccine distribution has serious implications for global health outcomes.

Answer from Wendy Morton

We announced at the G7 that we will donate 100 million vaccine doses within a year, with 5 million by September. Our Prime Minister led the G7 to commit to global vaccination by the end of 2022 and shared a plan to distribute 1 billion vaccine doses. The UK remains one of the largest donors to the international response, committing up to £1.3 billion since the start of the crisis.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific impact of the cuts on the poorest people and prolonging the pandemic was not directly addressed.

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