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Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: English Language
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2020 to Question 69595, on British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid, how many Chagossians in Mauritius have participated in English Language Training to date.

Answered by Wendy Morton

Since the commencement of English Language Training in August 2019, 65 Chagossians have enrolled on training courses offered by the British Council. There have been 157 enrolments in total and with around 4,500 hours of language training provided up to the end of April 2020.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: English Language
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2020 to Question 69595, on British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of English Language Training on the livelihoods of Chagossians in Mauritius.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The British Council is still evaluating the impact of the English Language Training programme, a process which has been impeded by the COVID 19 outbreak. However, initial feedback from participants has indicated strong appreciation of the opportunity, including for some participants learning to read and write for the first time.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid
Thursday 9th July 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has been responsible for expenditure from the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016.

Answered by Wendy Morton

HMG continues to work with partners to identify effective ways to spend the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016, half of which is sourced from ODA. To date DFID has supported the British Council to provide English language training for Chagossians in Mauritius.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid
Thursday 9th July 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much expenditure from the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016 has been counted as Official Development Assitance in each financial year in which that expenditure occurred.

Answered by Wendy Morton

Since the Written Ministerial Statement in November 2016, neither the main Chagossian leadership nor the Government of Mauritius have engaged actively with the UK Government in the development of a support package for Chagossians in Mauritius. However, as a first step DFID has contracted the British Council in Mauritius to deliver English Language Training (ELT) to the Chagossian community. ELT courses commenced in late August 2019 and will continue into 2020/2021. Of the £20 million allocated as Overseas Development Assistance under the package, £37,944.37 was spent in 2019/20 on ELT as a means to help the Chagossian community improve their livelihoods. No funds were spent in earlier years or have been spent in 2020/21 to date.


Written Question
Malawi: Elections
Monday 22nd June 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to civil society organisations in Malawi that promote free and fair participation in the presidential election planned for 23 June 2020.

Answered by James Duddridge

The UK, together with the US, is supporting two national civil society networks in Malawi to independently observe the election on the 23 June. Independent observation is an important contribution to free and fair elections. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and the Public Affairs Committee, an ecumenical body, will between them deploy 500 observers across the country to observe the polls and the counting of ballot papers.

The UK is also supporting the Centre for Multiparty Democracy, an association of political parties, to train political party monitors, disseminate peace messaging, and to host multi-party dialogue sessions in hotspot areas to prevent violence.


Written Question
International Development Acts
Monday 22nd June 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to (a) repeal or (b) replace the (i) International Development Act 2002, (ii) International Development Act 2006, (c) International Development Act 2014 and (d) International Development Act 2015.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act. The Government will undertake the necessary parliamentary process to transfer responsibilities under the International Development Act to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.


Written Question
Overseas Aid: Charities
Wednesday 25th March 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with stakeholders participating in the Aid Match scheme on (a) the potential merits of extending the Aid Match fundraising period and (b) basing Aid Match funding on income projected or anticipated before any effect of restrictions as a result of covid-19.

Answered by Wendy Morton

We are engaging directly with the seven charities who have UK Aid Match appeals live or due to launch, to discuss the potential impacts of Covid-19 on these appeals. If charities have had to postpone fundraising activities due to Covid-19, DFID has agreed that when these activities do take place we will continue to match the funds raised from these events, ensuring that through UK Aid Match we continue to give the UK public a say in how the aid budget is spent.

Whilst charities are asked to predict their anticipated income from a UK Aid Match appeal, the actual amount raised can vary widely and there is never a guarantee that anticipated income will be met. As such, whatever the circumstances, it would not be transparent to match fund projected figures.


Written Question
Overseas Aid: Coronavirus
Wednesday 25th March 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with recipients of grant funding on the potential merits of extending project implementation timetables with full funding to take into account delays caused by restrictions imposed as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Answered by Wendy Morton

DFID is engaging with supply partners to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and has had initial discussions with many of our highest delivery impact supply partners regarding contingency planning and their concerns. We will work collaboratively with supply partners and take a flexible and reasonable approach to find pragmatic solutions to support continuation of delivery where appropriate.


Written Question
Armed Conflict: Children
Thursday 5th March 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to end violence against children in conflict and humanitarian crises.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

DFID is providing significant support to protect children from violence around the world in conflict and humanitarian crises. Our programmes assist children and reduce their risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

In August 2019 at the G7 Summit, the UK Prime Minister announced £90 million of new UK support for education in emergencies and crises across the world, this will support 600,000 children living in conflict areas and areas of proacted crises. Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school in emergencies. This investment is a key plank of the PM’s plan to ensure more girls benefit from 12 years of education. This funding will provide safe spaces for girls and psycho-social support to those who have experienced violence and trauma.

The UK’s £16 million per year contribution to the UN Peacebuilding Fund is strengthening access to justice for children in Haiti; reintegrating children associated with armed groups in Myanmar; and preventing the recruitment of child soldiers in Somalia.

DFID’s ‘Children on the Move’ programme is working in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan to develop and strengthen child protection systems for migrating, internally displaced, and refugee children. This is helping to prevent and respond to violence against some of the world’s most vulnerable children.


Written Question
Crimes of Violence: Children
Thursday 5th March 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to prevent violence against children when UK aid is being distributed.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The UK is reducing violence through dedicated investments to protect children, alongside interventions embedded in wider development and humanitarian programming. This includes our £10 million funding to the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, which drives international ambition and progress through campaigns such as ‘Safe to Learn’, that aim to inspire action to end violence in schools. We have also provided £10 million in funding to UNICEF to prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation of children on the move in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan through a strengthened child protection system.

We have recently introduced a stronger approach to safeguarding children throughout the department’s programming and will seek to effect change across the development sector.