Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which projects in Nigeria (a) receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund and (b) have ceased to receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund in the previous five financial years.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Since 1 April 2024 the cross-government Integrated Security Fund (ISF), and the previous Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) have funded projects in Nigeria led by several government departments.
The CSSF and ISF has funded projects supporting Nigeria’s security and resilience in line with our priorities identified through the UK–Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue. This has included projects dedicated to security sector reform to better meet the security needs of communities in vulnerable areas, strengthen accountability, improve the inclusion of women and girls to advance peacebuilding efforts and improve regional and inter-agency coordination. The ISF also funds projects which improve Nigeria’s capability to counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and illicit finance which directly threaten the UK and our interests. Historically the CSSF and ISF have funded projects to enhance Nigeria’s cyber resilience and reduce the upstream drivers of illicit migration to the UK.
The ISF is an agile fund, which directs its funding towards projects focused on tackling the top national security threats to the UK, and therefore ceases funding projects which have achieved their objectives, or when funding can be better directed to address more pressing threats.
The Hon Member can find further details on Overseas Development Aid (ODA) programmes supported in Nigeria on the GOV.UK Development Tracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/).
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding saved by reducing the cost of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in the UK will be given to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to spend on international aid overseas.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
At Spring Statement 2025, the government confirmed that ODA budgets across the Spending Review period would be set in cash terms, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s spring 2025 forecast of gross national income (GNI). This means the FCDO’s ODA budget will no longer be automatically exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or to ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce in-donor refugee costs charged to the Overseas Development Assistance budget.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog and reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review (SR) period to ensure more of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget is spent on our development priorities overseas. The aid spent in the UK on refugee and asylum costs fell by a third last year and the Home Office is working to bring it down further.
In addition to this, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability in our budgets.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of proposed cuts to overseas aid spending, whether they plan to reduce the headcount of staff; and how they will ensure the necessary technical staff are retained to deliver on the UK’s commitments.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review, all departments are expected to meet savings and efficiencies of more than 5% of their Financial Year 2025-26 budgets by the end of the period (Financial Year 2028-29). Detail of these proposals will be confirmed once the Spending Review concludes. The proposed cuts to overseas aid spending will also be confirmed through the Spending Review. The UK government is committed to ensuring it has the development capability and technical expertise needed to deliver its ambition on international development.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has already taken action. Since the merger, the department has strengthened the technical expertise required to boost capabilities.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide (a) long-term and (b) flexible funding for programmes to help tackle the causes of conflicts in fragile and conflict-affected states.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Spending Review 2021 provided a three-year settlement of £2.65 billion to the cross-government Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Launched in 2015 it operates in over 80 countries and territories, delivering more than 90 programmes and combines Official Development Assistance (ODA) and other, non-ODA funding sources and integrates activity of a number of British government departments, including the FCDO. The Fund is managed by the Cabinet Office and yearly allocations are signed off by the National Security Council.
The 'Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a More contested and Volatile World' sets out how the UK will meet that challenge head-on. The new Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) will expand upon the existing CSSF. It will have a wider remit, funding projects both at home and overseas to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. With additional funding from other programming, the Fund will have a budget of almost £1 billion and will continue to spend UK aid money in line with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee rules and guidance.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether HM Treasury's suspension of non-essential aid spend until September applied to humanitarian aid spending.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government has provided significant support for Ukraine and taken a leading role in international diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, and military assistance. Some of this urgent support to Ukraine is classed as Official Development Assistance (ODA). Given the Government's response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, wider ODA pressures, including the ODA-eligible expenditure incurred through the Afghan resettlement programme and the UK's support to people fleeing Ukraine, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and other ODA spending departments will need to revisit initial allocations to ensure all ODA-eligible spending is managed within 0.5% of GNI this calendar year.
To achieve this, the Government is currently prioritising critical overseas aid funding, while also meeting needs of people seeking sanctuary in the UK from conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan. We will prioritise spending that is vital to protect against immediate threat to life and wellbeing, will prevent people falling into humanitarian need, or will prevent delays to accessing healthcare, primary education, sanitation and clean water, in addition to considering the value for money of any decisions.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department counts as non-essential aid in the context of the suspension by HM Treasury of non-essential aid spending until September.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government has provided significant support for Ukraine and taken a leading role in international diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, and military assistance. Some of this urgent support to Ukraine is classed as Official Development Assistance (ODA). Given the Government's response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, wider ODA pressures, including the ODA-eligible expenditure incurred through the Afghan resettlement programme and the UK's support to people fleeing Ukraine, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and other ODA spending departments will need to revisit initial allocations to ensure all ODA-eligible spending is managed within 0.5% of GNI this calendar year.
To achieve this, the Government is currently prioritising critical overseas aid funding, while also meeting needs of people seeking sanctuary in the UK from conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan. We will prioritise spending that is vital to protect against immediate threat to life and wellbeing, will prevent people falling into humanitarian need, or will prevent delays to accessing healthcare, primary education, sanitation and clean water, in addition to considering the value for money of any decisions.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to clear the backlog of pigs on UK farms due to the shortage of butchers to avoid more animals being killed and disposed of.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We continue to work closely with the pig industry to help them respond to challenges caused by a combination of factors, including the pandemic and the loss of the Chinese export market for certain processing plants, disruption to CO2 supplies and a temporary shortage of labour in the processing sector, which together have led to a growing backlog of pigs on farms.
We are very much aware of the impact that the need to cull pigs has on those individual farmers affected. We have therefore provided a package of measures to help address these unique circumstances, which includes temporary work visas for pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs. Together with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and other Government Departments, we are working to both expand existing overseas markets and to identify new export markets for pork, particularly lightly processed pork. We are also working with industry to support their efforts on the recruitment and retention of domestic workers.
I have chaired two Roundtables – on 10 February and 3 March - with representatives of the pig sector from across the UK. Following discussions with the sector, Defra removed all end destination requirements for pigs processed through the SIP scheme, a change which has encouraged further take up of this measure. I also met with representatives of the agricultural banking sector to discuss the current situation in the pig sector. The banks confirmed that they are working closely with impacted pig farmers during this exceptionally challenging period and remain keen to be supportive.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2021 to Question 4661 on Overseas Aid: Cost Effectiveness, if he will publish a list of the attendees of each of the four meetings to review, revise and approve proposals on Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As per the answer to Question 4661 all departments subject to the ODA prioritisation exercise were represented at ministerial level in the review meetings. This included the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (as was at the time), Department for International Development (as was at the time) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Department for Health and Social Care, Department for International Trade, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office (under the Paymaster General for the Cross Government Funds).
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2021 to Question 4662 on Overseas Aid: Cost Effectiveness, whether he had any input into other Government departments' value for money assessments.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As per the answer to Question 4662 all departments are responsible for their own value for money assessment against their suggested reductions.