Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK overseas aid spending will be in line with the OECD Development Assistance Committee's internationally agreed standards for Official Development Assistance following the merger of his Department and the Department for International Development.

Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. The UK continues to report its aid spend in line with the international definitions of Official Development Assistance as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

We will continue to look at how the UK’s aid can maximise the UK’s role as a force for good in the world, including through the Integrated Review. This will inform the priorities of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

As the Prime Minister said in the House, the work of UK aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the new department’s mission.