Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of public funding provided to the Commonwealth Secretariat.

In the 2016 Multilateral Development Review, the Department for International Development (DFID) assessed that the Commonwealth Secretariat was in need of further reform if it was to fulfil its crucial role at the heart of the Commonwealth. DFID agreed a Performance Management Agreement with the Secretariat for its future contributions to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation. In its 2018 annual review of its support to Commonwealth institutions, DFID confirmed that the Secretariat had met all the criteria for the release of the first three tranches of support under the Agreement.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned an external Central Assurance Assessment of the Commonwealth Secretariat earlier this year. While this Assessment did not specifically consider value for money, it reported that reasonable progress had been made in demonstrating that the internal control environment was effective.

The Secretariat's external auditors gave an unqualified opinion - with no recommendations - on the 2017/18 financial statements for all three of the main Secretariat funds.

Through our active membership of the Secretariat's Board of Governors and Executive Committee, we are committed to ensuring that the Secretariat makes efficient use of public funds, with maximum impact and value for money for its member states and their citizens.

At the request of Foreign Ministers, to fulfil a commission from Heads of Government, the Secretariat's Board of Governors has made recommendations to enhance the Secretariat's governance. Once implemented, they would make a significant difference to the effective operation of the Secretariat. We hope that they will be adopted soon.