Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts were consulted by the Foreign Office as part of the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Answered by James Cleverly - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form a new international department - the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders, including UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations, in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first class diplomatic service to make the UK a force for good in the world.