Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she is taking steps to establish an emergency fund to support organisations delivering projects in the global south which have cash-flow problems.

DFID is engaging with supply partners to address the challenges posed to them and DFID-funded projects by COVID-19. We will work collaboratively with supply partners to find pragmatic solutions to support both our partners and continuation of our programmes where appropriate.

The COVID-19 response will continue to develop rapidly and we are assessing and monitoring the overall financial health of supply partners to identify organisations we believe are at risk due to COVID-19.

We will deliver a comprehensive COVID-19 response through programming to support the global health and economic response, funding for further vaccine development, preparing for the recovery phase and leadership within the international community.