A number of constituents have written to me regarding UK aid.
I was delighted to open the Westminster hall debate on this and
give my full support for the continuation of the UK’s aid budget that does so
much good across the globe.
Below is a statement from Department for International Development
following the debate and also a link to the debate itself:
“The UK’s commitments on overseas aid were part of the 2015
manifesto on which the government was elected. The government is keeping its
promise to the electorate, tackling global challenges in the national interest.
Britain faces a simple choice: either we wait
for the problems of the world to arrive on our doorstep, or we take action to
tackle them at source.
UK aid, whether it is helping to prevent
deadly diseases like Ebola from coming to the UK from West Africa, or enabling
Syrian refugees and other would-be migrants to stay in their home region, is
about creating a more stable and secure world.
Over the last five years, UK aid has been
life-saving and life-changing for millions of the poorest people around the
world. We have supported 11 million children through school. We have helped
more than 60 million people get access to clean water, better sanitation and
improved hygiene conditions. We are leading the global effort to save millions
of girls from child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation.
UK aid is spent where it is most needed and
is subject to rigorous internal and external checks and scrutiny at all stages.
The UK’s aid programmes are scrutinised by the Independent Commission for Aid
Impact, the International Development Select Committee and Public Accounts
Committee in Parliament, and the National Audit Office. This is in addition to
internal monitoring and evaluation to ensure projects stay on track and deliver
value for taxpayers’ money.
The government has realigned the UK’s aid
strategy, cutting wasteful programmes and making sure spending is firmly in the
UK’s national interest. Alongside an increased defence budget and the UK’s
world class diplomatic service, our aid programme is helping to create a more
prosperous and stable world in which the UK can stand tall and flourish.
Britain’s aid strategy recognises that
tackling poverty overseas means tackling the root causes of global problems
that affect all of us, such as disease, migration, and terrorism. The
Department for International Development is the UK’s primary channel for aid,
but to respond to the changing world, more aid will be administered by other
government departments, such as the Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth
Office, Department of Health, and Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills, drawing on their complementary skills.
The government will invest more through its
aid programme to tackle the causes of instability, insecurity and conflict, and
to tackle crime and corruption. DFID is already working with the Metropolitan
Police, National Crime Agency, and HMRC to recover funds stolen from developing
countries, and help countries build proper tax systems and robust institutions
so they can stand on their own two feet.
This is an approach that works; as well as
delivering humanitarian aid to crisis zones and targeting the root causes of
the migration crisis, it is increasing economic prospects in fragile states to
help counter extremism, and helping build our future trading partners”.
You can
watch the debate here:
