Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 22 July regarding Official Development Assistance, (1) what analysis and evaluation techniques will be deployed in prioritising the various streams of development projects across the Sustainable Development Goals spectrum, and (2) what measures will be taken to establish the non-recoverable costs of cancelled or reduced programmes as a result of (a) the reduction in funding, (b) the impact of COVID-19, and (c) the merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

DFID’s evaluation approach is underpinned by the principles of transparency, rigour and independence, achieved with skilled analytical staff that have a deep and extensive evaluation experience.

Every DFID programme is subject to an annual review which looks at the performance of partners and DFID, including consideration of Value for Money. These reviews are published. Controls are in place to ensure that costs will be identified and recorded in line with Managing Public Money, including where necessary any write-offs or losses. The anticipated decline in GNI and hence ODA, the impact of covid-19, alongside all other key issues will be disclosed as necessary within the department’s 2020/21 Governance Statement.

We will continue to look at how money can be spent most effectively against our priorities, including through the Integrated Review, and the Spending Review – both of which will inform the priorities of the new Department.