Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and Nadhim Zahawi

Wednesday 7th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Mitchell]

The hon. Gentleman is a Birmingham Member of Parliament, as am I, and, like me, he will have received representations from the diaspora in Birmingham on that specific point. I had the chance to visit Lahore in January, and I will carefully consider what he has said and see whether additional action is required.

[Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to ensure transparency of his Department’s expenditure on aid.

[The Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Andrew Mitchell)]

I launched the aid transparency guarantee on 3 June, which will ensure that UK and developing country citizens have full information about British aid.

[Nadhim Zahawi]

I am sure my right hon. Friend is aware of recent surveys showing that, in these difficult times, public support for international aid is waning. Does he agree that if we are to win the argument for his Department’s budget in the court of public opinion, we have to ensure that the transparency agenda is linked to achieving the goals of the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office?

[Mr Mitchell]

My hon. Friend makes a good point, and it is always important to underline that there is strong cross-party commitment to this important budget partly for moral reasons, but also because it is very much in our national self-interest. My hon. Friend will have heard the words of the Foreign Secretary and myself about the importance of wiring more closely together defence, diplomacy and development, and he has my assurance that we will continue to do that with great care.