Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to increase defence spending alongside a reduction in the international aid budget on spending priorities for global development objectives and international commitments.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the impact of those allocation decisions. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Development at the International Development Committee on 24 March, where they addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.