Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's spending will adhere to the OECD Development Assistance Committee's internationally agreed standards for aid spending; and whether that Office will retain the legal safeguards and scrutiny mechanisms provided by the (i) International Development Committee, (ii) Independent Commission for Aid Impact and t(iii) International Development Acts.

There are no plans to repeal or replace any of the Acts. Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction. The Government will undertake the necessary parliamentary process to transfer responsibilities under the International Development Act to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to parliament for how it spends UK aid. The form this takes is a matter for parliament.