Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government remains committed to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee's definition of Official Development Assistance.

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 2 September, the UK is committed to spending 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on development assistance. It is both a manifesto commitment and is enshrined in law.

Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have been clear that development and poverty reduction will be at the heart of the new FCDO. The UK continues to rely on the Development Assistance Committee's definition and rules for what constitutes Official Development Assistance.

We are looking at how our aid budget can be used most effectively in our national interest through the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (IR).