Oral Answers to Questions

Philip Davies Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Priti Patel]

The hon. Gentleman is right that the UK will do everything it possibly can to support the current ceasefire and, importantly, to safeguard humanitarian support in the region, too. That is down to our diplomatic tools and diplomatic efforts, but, importantly, we are also making sure that all agencies work together to deliver the vital humanitarian support that is required.

[Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con)]

T3. No self-respecting Conservative believes that we should be judged simply on how much we spend on something. Spending a guaranteed amount of money each year on overseas aid leads to waste and excess such as the £1 billion spent each year on consultants. When can we get back to some common sense and stop spending more and more on overseas aid every year when the money could be much better spent at home?

[Priti Patel]

Like all Conservatives, I, too, want to focus on making sure that every penny of taxpayers’ money goes to helping the world’s poorest, which is exactly the mission of our Department. At the same time, my hon. Friend will know that overseas development assistance saves lives and transforms lives. He specifically refers to money spent on consultants, which is something that my Department is currently reviewing. [Interruption.]