Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of British International Investment's new investments were 2X qualified in the last financial year; and what proportion of those had (a) 51% women ownership or founded by woman, (b) 30% women in senior leadership, (c) 30-50% women in workforce, (d) product/service disproportionately benefits women and (e) 30% of DFI loan proceeds or portfolio companies meet 2X criteria.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has agreed that British International Investment (BII) should ensure that 25% of its commitments between 2022-26 qualify as gender lens investments. In the first two years, 38% of new commitments are 2X qualified.
In 2023, £297 million qualified against 2X. Investments can qualify against more than one dimension of the 2X criteria. The proportion is as follows: A) 9%; B) 79%; C) 78%; D) 22%; E) 65%. Figures for 2024 will be confirmed in July 2025 as part of BII's Annual Review process.
BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as 2X qualified investments, on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/).
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of British International Investment’s new investments were counted as international climate finance in the last financial year.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2023, British International Investment (BII) provided £449 million in climate finance, representing 37 per cent of all commitments. This includes supporting the growth of companies providing solar-powered irrigation systems for smallholder farmers, battery-swapping businesses for electric vehicles, and Sierra Leone's first large-scale solar project to be connected to the grid.
BII's 2024 Annual Review will be published in July 2025 and will include its audited climate finance break down for 2024 commitments. BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as climate finance on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/) and in its Annual Review.
The Government has agreed that BII should ensure that at least 30 per cent of its commitments between 2022-26 count as climate finance. In the first two years, 42 per cent of commitments have qualified.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) countries and (b) regions he is prioritising for the allocation of official development assistance.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our mission is to build partnerships to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. The FCDO's development spending will be used to achieve better development outcomes as part of a coherent international approach, with a strong focus on poverty reduction and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for 2024/25 were published on 6 February. We are prioritising predictability and stability after years of turbulence. Ministers will consider ODA allocations for 2025/26 over the coming months and we will publish them in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. The second phase of the Spending Review, concluding in late spring 2025, will set departmental ODA budgets for future years.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the pause in spending on (a) overseas development assistance and (b) humanitarian aid.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary had a call with his recently appointed US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on 27 January. The readout is available here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/readout-foreign-secretary-meeting-with-us-secretary-of-state].
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterparts on cooperation on (a) overseas development assistance and (b) humanitarian aid.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary had a call with his recently appointed US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on 27 January. The readout is available here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/readout-foreign-secretary-meeting-with-us-secretary-of-state].
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the pause in USAID spending on (a) jointly-funded UK-US programmes and (b) multilateral (i) organisations and (ii) initiatives.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK notes the US decision to pause new obligations of foreign aid funding for 3 months, pending a review and this is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners, including the US, toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the pause in USAID spending.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK notes the US decision to pause new obligations of foreign aid funding for 3 months, pending a review and this is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners, including the US, toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve development cooperation within the Commonwealth.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is collaborating on development across the Commonwealth to build societal, democratic, environmental, and economic resilience. Since 2016, the UK, with partners, has supported the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub to help mobilise over $310 million (£249 million) of finance for small island members - as well as tackle barriers to accessing essential climate finance. Last year, the UK and other members launched the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Investment aimed at building economic resilience in small and vulnerable members. A few Commonwealth countries, including the UK, fund Commonwealth Scholarships which support developing countries to realise Sustainable Development Goals.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve development cooperation with the European Union.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are committed to working closely with partners, including the EU, to deliver our new approach to development. The Foreign Secretary and then High Representative for Foreign Affairs agreed at the October EU Foreign Affairs Council to strengthen their co-operation on international issues. I discussed this ambition again with the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships on 5 February. As a practical example of UK-EU collaboration, the EU confirmed through a 'Pillar Assessment' last autumn that the UK is eligible to manage EU funds on the EU's behalf.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to develop an Africa strategy.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary launched a five-month consultation to inform the UK's new approach to the African continent during his visit to Nigeria and South Africa in November 2024. This follows the manifesto commitment to develop a fundamentally transformed partnership that engages with African countries as equals, promotes our economic growth and supports migration priorities. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa met with African Ambassadors, High Commissioners, civil society, and African experts to discuss opportunities for building a long-term mutually beneficial UK relationship with African countries.