Overseas Development Assistance Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office
Wednesday 14th July 2021

(3 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Agnew of Oulton Portrait Lord Agnew of Oulton (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Just to restate the point, Section 2 of the 2015 Act envisages circumstances in which the 0.7% target is not met due to

“economic circumstances and, in particular, any substantial change in gross national income”

and

“fiscal circumstances and, in particular, the likely impact of meeting the target on taxation, public spending and public borrowing”.

We last met those requirements in 2018-19.

Lord Judge Portrait Lord Judge (CB)
- Hansard - -

Please can the answer to this question not be that the law has not been broken? We had that last week and it was not an answer to my question. Is it consistent with the sovereignty of Parliament that an obligation or duty imposed on the Government by primary legislation can be expunged or suspended by Ministerial Statement?

Lord Agnew of Oulton Portrait Lord Agnew of Oulton (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My Lords, at the risk of being tedious, we have not in any way expunged the Act. We have suspended it in line with the section that I cited in the previous answer.