Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department has agreed to fund in the 2017-18 financial year; and what the budget is for such funding for that year.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Details of DFID’s approved projects, including those which will operate in financial year 2017-18, are available on the Development Tracker. Indicative allocations broken down by DFID programme are available in Annex B of DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has allocated to Afghanistan for the period 2017 to 2020; and whether her Department plans to review that allocation as part of the reduction in Overseas Development Aid announced in the Autumn Statement 2016.
Answered by Rory Stewart
At the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, the UK pledged to spend up to £750 million in Official Development Assistance in Afghanistan to 2020 (dependent on Afghan government performance and security conditions). Of this, DFID plans to spend £700 million, and the remainder will be spent through cross-government mechanisms including the Conflict, Security, and Stability Fund.
HM Treasury routinely adjusts the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget to ensure the UK meets the target to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on ODA. Where possible, budget adjustments will be achieved through efficiencies, focusing on spend that offers lowest value for money, and taking into account performance and fit with UK strategic objectives.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which projects her Department is currently supporting in Palestine.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Details of our live programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) can be found on DFID’s Development Tracker at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. The UK is a long term supporter of Palestinian refugees through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA); and is also committed to supporting the Palestinian Authority. The Secretary of State is currently conducting a full examination of DFID’s programme in the OPTs to ensure that UK taxpayers’ money is spent in the right places and in the right way.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which projects her Department funds that are targeted at women; and how much her Department has allocated to those such projects.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID is a global leader, working across multiple sectors and countries to break the barriers that hold women back. The UK has supported 9.9 million women to use modern methods of family planning, improved access to financial services for over 36 million women and supported 5.3 million girls in primary and lower secondary education. Reaching the most marginalised women and girls, especially those living in fragile and conflict affected states and humanitarian situations will help build a more stable, secure and prosperous world.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in relation to paragraph 5.22 of the Autumn Statement 2016, what assessment she has made of the effect of the planned reduction in her Department's budget; and whether any current projects are being considered for cancellation.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
HMT routinely adjust the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget to ensure the UK meets the target to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA. DFID will work closely with HMT to identify budget adjustments, focusing on adjusting spend that offers lowest value for money, and taking into account performance and fit with UK strategic objectives.
Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes in the relative value of the pound on her Department's finances.
Answered by Rory Stewart
We have conducted an assessment of the effects of recent changes, and our conclusion is that the impact is relatively limited, for 3 reasons: