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Written Question
Marie Stopes International: Expenditure
Thursday 23rd January 2020

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to Marie Stopes International in each of the last two years.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Department for International Development gave Marie Stopes International £57.1million in 2017-18 and £54.9million in 2018-19.

This data comes from DFID’s supplier analysis portal and funding comes from 12 programmes located in Africa and Asia working on the full range of sexual and reproductive health. It reflects actual spend rather than the value of programmes awarded in these years.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Abortion
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which organisations have been funded by his Department to provide abortion services; and how much funding each such organisation has been allocated in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Abortion
Tuesday 5th February 2019

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy is on funding organisations that provide abortions that have (a) been found guilty of breaking the law and (b) ineffective procedures for addressing sexual misconduct.

Answered by Alistair Burt

The Department for International Development is clear that we will not fund illegal activities. We take issues of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment extremely seriously and demand the highest standards from all organisations the department works with. We have put in place new, enhanced and specific safeguarding standards and new funding will not be approved unless our partners meet these tough standards. When organisations uncover issues, we must not penalise them for being transparent, but support effective due process in the handling of such allegations.


Written Question
Marie Stopes International
Friday 7th December 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Government funding her Department plans to allocate to Marie Stopes International in each of the years from 2018 to 2022.

Answered by Alistair Burt

The Department for International Development’s budgets for future years have not been finalised.

We expect to continue to fund Marie Stopes International (MSI) through a mix of central and country level programmes. For example, as part of our recently announced Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme, MSI has been awarded a contract of £77 million for the period 2018-2021.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Abortion
Tuesday 9th October 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference the announcement of £200 million of funding for the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme, how much of that funding will be spent on abortion provision and related activities; which countries that spending will be targeted at; and what estimate she has made of how much will be spent in each such country.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

As the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme will provide integrated sexual and reproductive services, we cannot provide a specific figure for the amount of funding that will be spent on comprehensive and safe abortion care. As the programme promotes an integrated approach to avoid unintended pregnancy, this will reduce the number of abortions that are sought. WISH will operate in 24 African and 3 Asian Countries: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, DR. Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Abortion
Tuesday 9th October 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the announcement of £200 million funding for the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme, how many abortion procedures are projected to be funded by that project (a) in total and (b) in each country.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

As the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme will deliver integrated sexual and reproductive services, we cannot provide a figure for the number of safe abortions which will be supported. The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme promotes an integrated approach to avoid unintended pregnancy – primarily through increasing access to voluntary modern contraceptives. This will reduce the number of abortions that are sought. The programme’s aim is to help women and girls avoid recourse to unsafe abortion and to increase access to voluntary family planning.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Genito-urinary Medicine
Tuesday 9th October 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the announcement of £200 million funding for the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme, which providers will deliver that project; and how much funding each of those providers will receive.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme will be implemented by two consortia. Marie Stopes International have been awarded a contract for £77 million and International Planned Parenthood Federation have been awarded a contract for £132 million.


Written Question
Kenya: Abortion
Tuesday 9th October 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the announcement of £36 million of funding for family planning in Kenya, how much of that funding will be spent on abortion provision and related activities; and how many abortion procedures are estimated to be funded by that project.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

The main focus of the ‘Delivering Sustainable and Equitable Increases in Family Planning in Kenya’ programme is to support increased access to modern family planning services. Abortion services will be supported by the programme within the parameters set out in the Kenyan Constitution. Article 26(4) of the Kenyan Constitution states that, ‘Abortion is not permitted unless, in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger or if permitted by any other written law’. We have no breakdown of funding for any abortion provision, or estimate of the number of procedures because this is a new programme, and the procurement of the implementing partner is underway.


Written Question
Religious Freedom
Wednesday 4th July 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for International Development:

What steps her Department is taking to provide assistance to religious minority communities in conflict areas.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Our humanitarian assistance is provided on the basis of need, irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity. We ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable including those from religious minorities. Minority communities are taken into account by the organisations we fund when assessing those most in need of protection and assistance.