Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA spending, what steps his Department plans to take to provide humanitarian support to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the Foreign Secretary announced an uplift of £14.6 million of humanitarian support for at least 480,000 more people in eastern DRC. This brings our humanitarian assistance in Eastern DRC to over £79 million this year. These funds support essential emergency assistance, and provide access to clean drinking water, treatment for malnourished children and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. The UK remains committed to supporting those most in need in this critical humanitarian situation. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be allocated in future years will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors, including impact assessments.