Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Luke Pollard Excerpts
Wednesday 20th March 2019

(5 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Harriett Baldwin Portrait Harriett Baldwin
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I thank my hon. Friend for his steadfast championing of this cause, to which we have been one of the leading contributors. I can announce today that we will be scaling up our support, but I cannot yet announce by exactly how much.

Luke Pollard Portrait Luke  Pollard  (Plymouth,  Sutton  and Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)
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T6.   I support the idea of a UK hospital ship, but it must not be used as a raid on the aid budget. Will the Secretary of State reassure me that it will not be used as a raid, and that we will keep our 0.7% on aid, not military spending?

Penny Mordaunt Portrait Penny Mordaunt
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We cannot spend any of the 0.7% on military spending. That is the whole point of being in the DAC—Development Assistance Committee—club and committing to 0.7%. We are looking at Her Majesty’s Government maritime capability, which might help other Departments as well as us, but aid money will only be spent on aid.