Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that disability inclusion in international development will remain a priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

This Government is committed to supporting a long-term movement for change on the neglected global issue of disability inclusion. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.

The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year, which will define the Government’s ambition for the UK’s role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the FCDO. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on disability inclusion.

As part of the merger discussions, we will review, refresh and build on all existing strategies, including DFID’s Disability Inclusion Strategy.