Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will ensure that two-thirds of UK support for energy access in developing countries is allocated to centralised, renewable electricity and clean cooking solutions.

Between 2011 and 2016, UK aid provided 12 million people with improved access to clean energy, including through off-grid renewable energy and other clean technologies like more efficient cook stoves. This is enabling businesses to be more productive, children to study after school and keeping women and girls safer after dark.

While DFID funding to energy technologies is informed by the needs of individual countries, the Department retains a strong preference in its bilateral programmes for clean energy solutions. This is consistent with UK leadership internationally, including through the £5.8bn commitment (2016 - 2021) for tackling climate change.