Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Overseas Aid: Child Health and Education

22 February 2023 · 7 other contributors · 8,503 words

Opened by Matt Rodda Lab Reading Central

Responding minister: David Rutley

Foreign AffairsChildren & FamiliesNHS

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Matt Rodda raised concerns about overseas aid: child health and education in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • MP raised concerns over reduced UK overseas aid impacting child health and education in developing countries.
  • Bilateral aid for education dropped from 789 million in 2019 to 545 million in 2020, affecting programmes in Bangladesh and elsewhere.
  • MP requested government to reassess aid approach, advocating for a return to the 0.7% target for development spending.

Key requests to Government

The MP asks the Government to reassess their approach to overseas aid, including a return to the 0.7% target for development spending as soon as financially possible and to focus on where Britain can make a difference through strategic partnerships with local communities and developing countries. I ask the government to immediately reinstate the 0.7% target on overseas aid as it is both morally responsible and economically smart, ensuring continued support for international development projects that save lives and promote stability around the world.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Matt Rodda Lab Reading Central

The MP is concerned about the negative impact of reduced overseas aid on child health and education in developing countries. He highlighted that bilateral aid for education fell from £789 million in 2019 to just £545 million in 2020, a reduction of nearly a third, affecting programmes such as those run by Dhaka Ahsania Mission which serves out-of-school children and the anonymous NGO working on child rights. He also mentioned that the UK's pledge for the Global Partnership for Education is lower than expected and the funding cut has led to 1,250 children without access to quality non-formal primary education in Bangladesh. I am concerned about the scale of aid cuts, particularly in Lebanon, Ethiopia, Yemen, Malawi, Kenya, India, and Uganda. In Malawi, BRACED funding was cut from £25 million to £5 million, resulting in early warning system failures during Tropical Storm Ana, which displaced 84,000 people and caused a cholera outbreak affecting 1,160 children with 184 deaths. The cuts impact education for women and girls, HIV treatment programmes, and research supporting teachers and students in crisis areas.

Other contributors (7)
  • David Mundell Con Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale

    Emphasised the importance of MPs visiting overseas to understand global issues better. Discussed a recent trip to Washington where he met World Bank representatives, urging them to improve communication on their outcomes. Praised the UK's role in supporting the Global Fund and made a £1.5 billion pledge for nutrition for growth. Highlighted concerns over HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and advocated for LGBT rights internationally.

  • Florence Eshalomi Lab Co-op Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

    Four decades on from the start of the AIDS crisis, a child dies from an AIDS-related cause every five minutes. Only half of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatments. Adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately impacted by HIV. The UK's ODA spending cuts have significantly impacted multilateral, bilateral, research and development funding. Eshalomi intervenes, pointing out that the UK is one of few countries reducing funding to the Global Fund, which could further impact projects like those highlighted by Thomas.

  • Gareth Thomas Lab Co-op Harrow West

    The UK has a moral responsibility to support the poorest countries and it is in our self-interest to do so. Gareth Thomas highlights that Pakistan, affected by recent floods, needs significant continued support from the UK. He also stresses the importance of supporting Palestinian territories, particularly through UNRWA for education, and suggests increasing development assistance to the World Bank to address learning poverty.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate and highlights the significant contributions of non-governmental organisations, charities, and church groups in his constituency to health, education, job opportunities, and gender equality.

  • Layla Moran Lib Dem Oxford West and Abingdon

    Asks if the hon. Gentleman has heard similar concerns from others working in embassies about the diminished role of development in the FCDO. Condemned the illegal tearing down of Palestinian schools by the Israeli Government and criticised FCDO for insufficient action in addressing this issue. Asked the minister to accept that aid budgets were always going to decrease due to economic pressures but disagreed with reducing it further to 0.5%.

  • Lyn Brown Lab Tottenham

    She criticised the government's short-term approach to aid, citing decisions such as slashing the aid budget and suspending non-essential payments. She highlighted impacts on children in Yemen and Bangladesh, noting that African countries experienced cuts despite climate disasters, poverty, child malnutrition, and conflict.

  • Steven Bonnar SNP Glasgow North

    Mr Bonnar criticised the UK Government for cuts to overseas aid budgets, citing UNICEF's overview of global crises impacting children. He highlighted specific conflicts and climate-induced disasters that have affected millions of children worldwide. The SNP Member emphasised that despite Conservative promises in their manifesto, international aid spending was reduced from 0.7% to 0.5%, resulting in severe impacts on education and healthcare for children globally.

Government Response

David Rutley

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Bone, and I am sorry that the shadow Minister was cut off. The UK's aid budget currently sits at around 0.5% of gross national income, equating to over £11 billion in 2021. Despite economic challenges from the pandemic and Russia's attack on Ukraine, we remain one of the world's biggest aid donors. Extra funding of £2.5 billion has been provided by the Treasury for official development assistance over two years (£1 billion in 2022-23 and £1.5 billion in 2023-24). Our decisions on spending are guided by the international development strategy, focusing on priorities like women and girls and global health. We have been able to respond to emergencies such as a cholera outbreak in Malawi with £500,000 of funding. The UK continues to support work through multilateral organisations and we remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable, aiming to return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA as soon as possible. Health remains a key priority for our development assistance, with commitments such as £340 million core voluntary commitment to the World Health Organisation, £1.5 billion to improve nutrition, and £1.65 billion support to Gavi's mission between 2021-2025. We also pledged an additional £1 billion to the Global Fund for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria prevention. Our work supports global education, prioritising programmes that give direct support to children's learning while mitigating budget reductions through reprofiling or delaying spend.

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