Oral Answers to Questions

Martyn Day Excerpts

Wednesday 21st November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

5. Whether the Government have plans to devolve functions of her Department to the devolved Administrations.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

14. Whether the Government have plans to devolve functions of her Department to the devolved Administrations.

[The Secretary of State for International Development (Penny Mordaunt)]

The Government have no plans to devolve functions of the Department for International Development to the devolved Administrations, but we are giving people in all parts of the UK more control over how aid money is spent.

[Penny Mordaunt]

In line with the answer that the Minister of State, Department for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin), gave some moments ago, the Government’s position on UNESCO has not changed, nor has mine. We continue to monitor the quality of the multilaterals that we work with. I have funded new projects with UNESCO, looking particularly at data on education, and we will continue to do that.

[Martyn Day]

Scotland has a long tradition of international solidarity, particularly in responding to crisis situations, such as the recent earthquake in Indonesia. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the UK Government support the current arrangement for devolved Administrations to run international aid development programmes and that her Department has no plans to curtail or undermine these?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I can confirm that, and indeed, we are developing small grant programmes and UK aid match to enable more community groups, as well as Administrations, to contribute to such humanitarian disasters.