Future of UK Development Co-operation Inquiry: Phase 1: Development Finance

Building on the evidence received, the Committee has decided to focus in the first phase of the inquiry on how ODA is spent.

The International Development Committee invites new evidence on the following issues: 

• Whether the 0.7% ODA target will be appropriate in the long term;
• Whether DFID has the right mix of financial instruments and whether it should introduce new ones, including concessional loans; the balance between loans and traditional grant aid; and the role of the UK as a provider of climate finance;
• Specifically whether the UK should establish a new, independent development finance institution to offer concessional loans;
• Whether DFID has the right balance between bilateral and multilateral aid;
• What lessons can be learnt from other national donors; and
• How DFID should monitor and influence expenditure by multilateral institutions, including in countries and regions where DFID does not have bilateral programmes. 

Other issues relating to the future of development cooperation will be addressed in future phases of the inquiry before the end of the Parliament. Future phases will cover policy coherence and it is intended that the inquiry will conclude by examining a ‘road map’ for UK development assistance in 2025, including the purpose of UK ODA and how the UK’s method of delivering ODA will need to change.

The Committee invites written submissions from interested organisations and individuals. The deadline for these is 3 June 2013.

Written evidence submitted should:
Be no longer that 3000 words in length 

• Have numbered paragraphs 
• Avoid the use of colour or expensive-to-print material
• Be provided electronically in MS Word or Rich Text format (No PDF’s) by e-mail to indcom@parliament.uk.  If submitted by e-mail or e-mail attachment, a letter should also be sent validating the e-mail. The letterhead should contain your full postal address and contact details

Submissions can also be sent by post to International Development Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London, SW1P 3JA.

View guidance on giving evidence to Select Committees.

Please also note that: 

• Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within written evidence, in which case a hard copy of the published work should be included. If a number of published documents are sent to accompany written evidence, these should be listed in the covering email. 
• Written evidence submitted must be kept confidential until published by the Committee, unless publication by the person or organisation submitting it is specifically authorised. 
• Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Record Office. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.  
• It would be helpful, for Data Protection purposes, if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details separately in a covering letter. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 
• Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.

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