Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the UN's World Food Programme eligibility criteria.

The UK works to ensure that all humanitarian assistance reaches the most in need. The humanitarian principle of impartiality guides humanitarian actors to provide aid to those most in need without distinction of nationality, age, race, gender, religious belief, class or political opinions. We continually engage with the World Food Programme (WFP) and other partners through our overseas missions to ensure that those in greatest need are prioritised for UK Aid-funded food assistance.

The FCDO assessment is that WFP has a clear and transparent process for beneficiary targeting and prioritisation. We work closely with our operational partners to ensure they rigorously assess vulnerability and needs at country level. Targeting and prioritisation assessments are made on the basis of the most urgent needs. Eligibility criteria are validated and improved through regular and rigorous consultations with affected communities. Only then is the list of eligibility criteria finalised and applied to activities.