Lords question the Government’s commitment to using UK official development assistance for poverty reduction

This is one of the issues raised in a letter from Baroness Anelay, Chair of the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Rt Hon. Dominic Raab MP.

Other questions posed by the Committee include:

• What criteria will be used to determine whether the fiscal situation allows a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA?
• What consideration has been given to a minister representing international development attending cabinet meetings, to ensure that this important portfolio is given the appropriate profile?
• What is the rationale behind the Government’s decision that bilateral programmes should “become the default” for UK ODA; and how will this be achieved?
• How the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development will produce value for money? What cost savings do you expect to realise from the merger?

Baroness Anelay of St Johns, Chair of the International Relations and Defence Committee said:

“We have made clear our opposition to the Government’s intention to break the UK’s statutory commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on overseas development assistance.

“We now need the Government to set out the criteria it would use to determine that the fiscal situation allows a return to 0.7%, and to reassure us that its new approach, as set out by the Foreign Secretary, does not imply a de-prioritisation of poverty reduction in the UK’s aid spending.

“We are also concerned that the profile of international development in cabinet has been reduced by the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Development, and hope the Government is considering having a minister representing international development attend cabinet meetings in future.

“We look forward to the Government’s response”