Official Development Assistance 2020-12-07
2020-12-07
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The effectiveness of the Department's official development assistance spending is under scrutiny. The question seeks to understand how these programmes are assessed.
What recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of his Department's official development assistance spending?
Defence engagement programmes, including those that count as official development assistance, help create conditions for sustained economic development for recipient nations by increasing the effectiveness and integrity of their defence institutions. We assess the impact of our programmes continuously and subject them to formal evaluation annually.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) sets out guidelines for development spending. The question seeks assurance that the MOD will ensure compliance with these guidelines in new areas such as cyber-technologies and space-based assets.
As the Minister knows, it is the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, or DAC, that sets out the guidelines for development spending, and it states that spending promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries. As the MOD explores new areas, such as cyber-technologies and space-based assets, will the Minister ensure that any development spending by his Department is DAC-compliant and continues to focus on helping the world's poorest?
I think that the answer to the hon. Lady's question is that we will do our best, but of course what matters is that we are doing the right military things in order to create the right situations for prosperity and security wherever we are serving around the world. If the activity is not directly compliant, I am not sure that should stop us doing it.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific commitment to DAC compliance in new areas like cyber-technologies and space-based assets was avoided
Doing Our Best
Response accuracy