Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41094 on Aid Workers: Armed Conflict, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UN Security Council Resolution 2730 in protecting those Humanitarian Aid workers in areas of conflict and instability.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The scale and severity of threats to humanitarian aid workers is alarming. The UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2730 to draw attention to the protection of humanitarian aid workers, including protection for national personnel who often face higher risks, and to request the UN Secretary General to update the UN Security Council (UNSC) annually on progress to protect humanitarian personnel.
Under the auspices of UNSCR 2730, in November 2024 the UK invited the Aid Worker Security Database founder to brief the council on the scale of the issue. In April 2025, the UK called for investigations into the tragic deaths of Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff and called on Israel to support the search for a missing staff member.
We also use our seat at the UNSC to condemn specific incidents, including: the attack on Zamzam refugee camp in Sudan; the tragic deaths of World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza; and incidents in Ukraine.
The UK has also joined an Australian-led Foreign Ministers' initiative to develop a political declaration to enhance protection for humanitarian personnel and complement UNSCR 2730 by galvanising collective action.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of named neighbourhood police officers in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, no matter where they live.
As the Prime Minister announced on 10 April, by July, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities as part of the Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
We are providing £200 million to police forces in financial year 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across the country.
West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned levels of future official development assistance spending on the ability of programmes supporting (a) schools and (b) health facilities to (i) undertake risk assessments and (ii) develop resilience plans for natural disasters.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. We plan to publish final Financial Year 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support community-driven development initiatives in overseas aid projects.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Partnering with local actors with roots in their communities is crucial to deliver aid that is culturally relevant, contextually appropriate, and impactful. Local partners offer insights into communities' culture and needs and understand local coordination structures and challenges. The evidence shows that local organisations are particularly effective at driving social accountability and enhancing public services for marginalised groups, including women and girls. By focusing on capacity building, acting as conveners to amplify local voices, and investing in the long-term sustainability of local partners, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its delivery partners, such as international non-governmental organisations, can provide substantial value beyond mere financial support.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41839 on Ukraine: Overseas Loans, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the loan to Ukraine.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is providing £2.26bn as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans to Ukraine scheme. This will be repaid using profits from immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.
The G7 has assessed and agreed that the ERA can support $50bn of support to Ukraine – the entirety of which has been pledged. Any amendment to the ERA scheme would need to be agreed by the G7.
The UK has committed £15bn in support to Ukraine to date, including £10bn in military support (including our £2.26 billion ERA Loan contribution) and £5bn in non-military support.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision not to automatically adjust UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) spending in line with economic conditions on ODA-funded programmes globally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets from 2025/26 onwards are set in cash terms based on Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts. This change means the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) ODA budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of ODA spending by other departments, including asylum costs.
As The Minister of State for International Development set out in her 27 March letter to the International Development Committee, this is a significant and positive change to the way the FCDO manages its ODA budget, increasing the predictability of our budgets and allowing us to plan with more certainty.
Departmental ODA allocations will be confirmed at the Spending Review.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to set annual aid budgets from 2027 in cash terms based on GNI forecasts at the Spending Review.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets from 2025/26 onwards are set in cash terms based on Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts. This change means the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) ODA budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of ODA spending by other departments, including asylum costs.
As The Minister of State for International Development set out in her 27 March letter to the International Development Committee, this is a significant and positive change to the way the FCDO manages its ODA budget, increasing the predictability of our budgets and allowing us to plan with more certainty.
Departmental ODA allocations will be confirmed at the Spending Review.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Voluntary Service Overseas ACTIVE programme in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has taken the decision to increase spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP from 2027, funded by reducing Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The ODA budget will be gradually reduced to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of GNI by 2027, to help smooth the transition.
This difficult choice reflects the evolving nature of the threats we face, and the strategic shifts required to meet them, while maintaining economic stability.
We are evaluating all ODA funding to ensure value for money for UK taxpayers and have to work harder than ever to make sure our development work delivers for the British public and our Plan for Change.
Our approach balances the UK's proud tradition of supporting the world's most vulnerable with our fundamental responsibility to protect British interests in an increasingly unstable world.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of planned changes to the level of future spending on official development assistance on programmes supporting women smallholder farmers.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government recognises the important role women smallholder farmers play in agrifood systems in developing countries, and that investing in women and girls and breaking down the barriers they face supports inclusive development. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.
We plan to publish final Financial Year 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on accountability for the actions of the Lukashenko regime.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I condemn Belarus' relentless repression, which continues to become ever more draconian and punitive. The UK works closely with our likeminded partners on the ground in Minsk, in capitals, and in international organisations to work to hold the Lukashenko regime to account.
The UK also co-sponsors the UN's accountability mandates and works on accountability measures through the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which the UK led in establishing in 2021, working alongside Germany, Denmark, and a range of other partners. We also coordinate with our European partners on statements, sanctions, and work in Minsk to hold the regime to account.