Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the £50 million in funding from her Department matched with funding from Unilever, has been disbursed to date.
Answered by Wendy Morton
As at July 2020, the Department for International Development has disbursed £15,958,394 through the Hygiene, Handwashing & Behaviour Change Coalition for COVID-19 Response.
This relates to 14 contracts and Memoranda of Understandings with implementing partners, with a total value of £34,806,976.
Additional contracts are currently being negotiated.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many (a) people have been advised on the importance of hygiene and (b) products have been distributed through the Hygiene, Handwashing and Behaviour Change covid-19 response programme.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Hygiene, Handwashing and Behaviour Change Coalition for COVID-19 response programme aims to reach up to 1 billion people with hygiene messaging to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Implementation is underway with 21 partners working across 37 countries. While totals have still to be verified, for Phase 1 partners alone, we are on track to reach over 300 million of the most vulnerable across countries including the DRC, Bangladesh, Yemen and Ethiopia, including in refugee settings.
Over 20 million hygiene products have already been delivered to frontline NGOs, with 60 million more being prepared for distribution by Unilever.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the CDC Group's climate strategy, published on 2 July 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the compliance of CDC Group's on-going investments with the standards set out in that climate strategy.
Answered by James Duddridge
CDC has published an ambitious new climate strategy that commits CDC to a portfolio-wide approach to achieving net zero by 2050, a just transition and stronger focus on adaptation and the building of climate resilience. A target to invest 30% of total annual commitments in 2021 in climate finance has been set.
DFID has closely engaged with CDC on the development of their new climate strategy. The commitments set out are forward-looking and will ensure CDC’s approach to aligning with the Paris Agreement is fully embedded within its investment processes.
The new climate strategy builds on steps taken by CDC over recent years to integrate climate risks and opportunities into investment decision making, whilst continuing to focus on the world’s poorest countries. Over the last 3 years, CDC has made climate related investments totalling over $1 billion in renewable energy, forestry and energy and water efficiency projects.
This policy is not retrospective. Investments made prior to the launch of the climate strategy were made in accordance with policies and requirements at the time those decisions were made.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the CDC Group's climate strategy, published on 2 July 2020, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all existing CDC investments made prior to July 2020 comply with the standards set out in that climate strategy.
Answered by James Duddridge
DFID has closely engaged with CDC on the development of their new climate strategy. The commitments set out are forward-looking and will ensure CDC’s portfolio-wide approach to aligning with the Paris Agreement is fully embedded in its investment processes.
This policy is not retrospective. Investments made prior to the launch of the climate strategy were made in accordance with policies and requirements at the time those decisions were made.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has allocated funding from the 2020-21 (a) central contingency budget and (b) Official Development Assistance crisis reserve budget.
Answered by Wendy Morton
DFID do not hold a central contingency budget and have not requested any funding from the central exchequer reserve held by HM Treasury.
The UK ODA Crisis Reserve is an annual allocation of £500 million. This consists of a £200 million un-allocated reserve and a £300 million re-deployable reserve. This enables ?exible, quick and effective cross government responses to crises as they happen as set out in the UK Aid Strategy published in 2015. We do not report on expenditure drawn down from the ODA Crisis Reserve.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the planned level of promissory note issuance was, by institution, in (a) calendar year 2020 and (b) financial year 2020-21 at the Main Estimates stage.
Answered by Wendy Morton
DFID uses promissory notes with organisations such as international development banks. A promissory note allows that organisation to commit to an activity in full, in advance of funding being transferred.
DFID’s made no adjustment at Main Estimates 2020-21 to the Net Cash Requirement as a result of Promissory Notes.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the budget reprofiling and repurposing for 2020-21 of each regional programme in each country office as a result of the forecast fall in gross national income.
Answered by Wendy Morton
DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts is due to be published on 14 July and will set out baseline programme budgets for 2020/21 spend by DFID spending unit.
DFID has a good record on transparency and meeting our reporting and publication requirements. We fully intend to maintain these standards.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has allocated fifty per cent of Official Development Assistance to support the response of fragile states to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
DFID will continue to meet its commitment to spend 50% of its budget in Fragile and Conflict States.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to (a) local markets, (b) SMEs and (c) the informal economy in fragile and conflict affected states during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Duddridge
We have adapted existing bilateral health, humanitarian, economic and social protection programmes across 35 countries and regions as part of our COVID-19 response. We are assessing secondary impacts on local agriculture and food markets in fragile and conflict affected states, and helping to mitigate these through multilateral initiatives such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP).
As a shareholder and leading donor to the Multilateral Development Banks, we have been working with them to ensure that they are rapidly providing much-needed working capital to SMEs and supply chains that workers and farmers in developing countries depend on. This includes $8 billion of fast-tracked support from the International Finance Cooperation.
We are also exploring how DFID’s private sector development finance programmes can respond and complement this support. For example, CDC is supporting its existing portfolio of investee companies, and their workforces, to weather the crisis, and is looking to make new investments that provide systemic liquidity to companies, including SMEs. We are also working to support businesses with supply chains in developing countries to ensure their most vulnerable workers and suppliers are prepared for the anticipated economic and social shocks.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how overseas aid is being used to mitigate the economic effect of the covid-19 pandemic by supporting people in the informal economy in fragile places.
Answered by James Duddridge
The poorest and most fragile countries have limited economic tools to respond to the global economic downturn. We are working through the International Financial Institutions and our bilateral programmes to ensure Governments and businesses in fragile states can access affordable financing and advisory support; and to urgently establish safety nets to protect the most vulnerable.
DFID currently supports social protection and/or humanitarian cash transfer programmes in 35 countries, including Fragile and Conflict Affected States, which support people who are vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19.
We are also advising 20 of the poorest cities in the world to strengthen their response to COVID-19, by identifying urban areas and informal settlements, including slums, that are particularly vulnerable due to dense populations and lack of access to water and sanitation.