Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress she has made on the recapitalisation of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC); and what plans she has to enable parliamentary scrutiny of the CDC Business Case and its recapitalisation.
Answered by Priti Patel
The passage of the CDC Bill earlier this year enabled significant, and welcome, parliamentary scrutiny of CDC as an institution, and of the case for recapitalisation of it. Issues raised by Parliamentarians from all sides of the House fed into CDC 2017-21 Strategic Framework, launched earlier this year. As is normal practice, the CDC recapitalisation business case will be subject to government review and quality assurance processes, and will be published once approved by Ministers. My Department will continue to engage closely with Parliamentarians on all aspects of CDC’s work, and we welcome constructive input from all sources.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures the Government is putting in place with the Nigerian Government to support the economic and developmental potential of Nigeria's youth population.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Recently, I witnessed the transformative work DFID is doing in Nigeria, with the Government and the private sector, to build a better future for the largest youth population in Africa. DFID is providing critical healthcare in the early stages of life, educating over 1 million children, and supporting livelihoods, jobs and investment across the country, and has raised the incomes of 1.38 million Nigerians since 2015.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) plans her Department has and (b) funding it has allocated to implement its Youth Agenda, published in April 2016; and how her Department plans to ensure that it works alongside and consults young people as advocates and agents for change.
Answered by Priti Patel
With 1.8 billion people globally between the ages of 10 and 24, DFID is ensuring that young people are at the centre of all our work, supporting their access to quality education, improved healthcare, and decent work; regardless of their background.
We aim to provide young people with a genuine say in shaping a positive future for their countries. This was illustrated most recently at the 2017 Family Planning summit, which had a Youth Panel that played a key role in setting the agenda and outcomes of the event.
We are also working directly with 5-18 year olds in the UK through our Development Education programme. Through this programme, we are investing in a new generation of Global Britain ambassadors, proud of the work the UK is doing to tackle global poverty, and better prepared to live and eventually work in a globalised economy.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to (a) publish and (b) implement its new Strategic Vision for Gender Equality.
Answered by Priti Patel
DFID’s new Strategic Vision on Gender Equality will be published and implemented by DFID and with its partners in due course.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the public purse has been paid by her Department to Adam Smith International since March 2017; how much of that funding is classified as Official Development Assistance; and whether her Department has (a) signed any new contracts or (b) extended any existing contracts with Adam Smith International since March 2017.
Answered by Priti Patel
DFID has not signed any new contracts or extended any existing contracts with Adam Smith International (ASI) since March 2017. Between 1st March – 31st August 2017 DFID paid £50.06 million to ASI, to fulfil legally binding contracts. All payments are classified as Official Development Assistance.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans exist for the repatriation or reallocation of the proportion of the overseas aid budget currently contributing towards EU development funds; and whether the Government intends to bring these plans before Parliament.
Answered by Priti Patel
The arrangements for withdrawal from the EU, including its funds, will be determined as part of the exit negotiations with the European Commission.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to publish a breakdown of new funding for Nigeria announced in August 2017.
Answered by Priti Patel
The detailed plans of how these funds are going to be spent will be published on DFID department’s website once suitable implementing partners are appointed. Further details of these announcements can be found in my press releases of 31 August 2017 on modern slavery and on 30 August 2017 on humanitarian support.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to review her Department's financial contribution to any UN agencies.
Answered by Priti Patel
The 2016 Multilateral Development Review included a comprehensive assessment of every UN agency receiving more than £1 million of annual core funding from DFID.
We continue to actively monitor UN Agency performance through our membership of their Governing Boards and analysis of their results data. We are clear that where agencies consistently fail to meet our high standards, their funding is at risk. The UK is pushing hard for the UN development system to change so that it is better prepared for the challenges of the 21st Century; future funding will be linked to progress on reform.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost including for staff of maintaining her Department's In the News webpage is annually.
Answered by Priti Patel
DFID’s In the News webpage is maintained by the existing Press Office team as part of their regular duties. There is no dedicated resource required.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help meet the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Answered by Priti Patel
The government is committed to the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular ensuring that children in developing countries are able to access a good quality education.
The UK supported 11 million children in school between 2011 and 2015. The UK is also leading the way on reaching the most marginalised children including through flagship programmes such as the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) which is supporting 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls. We have stepped up on education in emergencies through our funding of Education Cannot Wait. We have also committed to getting more children with disabilities into school and learning. The UK has funded 380,000 teachers through our multilateral contributions. All are critical elements of the Sustainable Development Goals.