Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking support countries whose Official Development Assistance funding has been reduced as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Difficult decisions have been necessary to identify the savings needed to ensure we meet the 0.7 per cent commitment this year. The Foreign Secretary chaired a review process across government looking at all strands of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, evaluating the impacts of spend and making sure the UK can maintain operational capacity. This process also has made sure there is continued support for five ODA priorities; bottom billion poverty reduction, climate change, girls' education, COVID-19 and Britain as a force for good.