Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government has consulted with charities on (a) the potential merits of merging her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the potential effect of merging those Departments on aid policy.

The Prime Minister has appointed a fully joint junior ministerial team for DFID and the FCO. This builds on the good work DFID is already delivering with the FCO: in 32 bilateral posts, 16 multilateral missions and through the eight FCO-DFID Joint Units in London. The Prime Minister also appointed separate Secretaries of State for the Foreign Office and DFID in the recent reshuffle and is keen to make sure UK aid is both spent well and aligned with the UK’s foreign policy priorities.

The Government Manifesto maintains spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA and pledges to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030 and lead the way in eradicating Ebola and malaria. We will continue to need the support of our partner charities to deliver on these commitments.