Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department's technical expertise on upholding women and girls' rights in development and humanitarian settings is retained by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this government’s mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. DFID and FCO already work closely together on gender equality and we will continue to draw on the skills and expertise of all colleagues in the new department to champion gender equality in international development and humanitarian crises. This is the only way we will achieve a fairer, safer and more prosperous world, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year, which will define the Government’s ambition for the UK’s role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the new Department. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on gender equality and women’s rights.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on maintaining the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality as a policy and guiding principle of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Secretary of State for International Development and Foreign Secretary meet regularly to discuss the vision for the new Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office.
Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this government’s mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.
There is a high level of support for the Strategic Vision and DFID, FCO and other HMG teams already work closely together to realise the ambitions of the Strategic Vision. As part of the merger discussions, we will review, refresh and build on all existing strategies, as well as developing new approaches where appropriate. We do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality changing. The challenges for the advancement of girls’ education, sexual reproductive health and rights, women’s political empowerment, women’s meaningful participation in peace processes, women’s economic empowerment, and ending violence against women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, are as acute now, if not more so, as when we published the strategy in 2018.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support departmental staff affected by the proposed merging of her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are prioritising staff wellbeing and support during the formation of the new department. We have a well-developed offer to help staff manage their wellbeing and resilience during change. This includes learning and development, mental health support, and a dedicated welfare team. Our Trade Unions, local staff associations and employee support networks are also working hard to ensure our colleagues get the support they need.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will takes steps to ensure that no employees of her Department will be made redundant during the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There will be no compulsory redundancies for DFID employees as a result of the decision to create a new Department. Some roles may change due to business needs and any changes will be handled in compliance with relevant civil service policy and guidance or local labour law for staff appointed in county overseas.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be structured to effectively deliver on the UK's commitment under the UN Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals – and to the underpinning pledge to Leave No One Behind as we strive to achieve them. The SDGs will play an important role in post-COVID-19 recovery, recognising the connection between healthy lives, healthy societies and a healthy environment. As the Prime Minister affirmed on 28 May, we owe it to future generations to build back better, basing our recovery on a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy, and to get our shared goals on track, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will consult the trade unions of the her Department's staff members at each stage of the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have commenced discussions with our trade unions (PCS and FDA) and they will be consulted as we design and develop the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which trade unions were consulted by her Department as part of the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Nigel Adams
There was no formal consultation with our trade unions (PCS and FDA) prior to this decision being made. We have now commenced discussions and they will have a key role to play as we develop the new organisation.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will work to the same standards of spending transparency used by her Department.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is globally recognised for its expertise and transparency in aid spending. The new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to benefit from that expert knowledge as it delivers aid programmes to some of the world’s poorest people.
We are committed to improving transparency of aid globally and maintaining our high standards for overseas spending. We will continue to be accountable to parliament and to taxpayers for how we spend UK aid, and to mandate our partners to be transparent.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether a cost assessment was completed prior to the announcement of the merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, bringing together the best of what we do in aid and diplomacy. These changes will better align our development with our foreign policy and the broad UK national interest. It will make our development work even more effective and enable us to speak with one voice wherever we are in the world.
We will implement these changes in the most cost effective way possible. While we anticipate there may be cost savings in the long term as a result of using our resources more effectively and efficiently, it is not the primary goal of the merger of these two Departments. This is primarily about bringing together our international efforts so we can maximise the UK’s influence around the world. By aligning our efforts, the merger will maximise our influence and expertise and ensure we are in the best position to confront the challenges that lie ahead.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government remains committed to her Department's strategic vision for gender equality policy; and whether that policy will inform the wider aims of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development department.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Strategic Vision for Gender Equality is DFID’s guiding document on gender equality, but it reflects and responds to the UK Government ambitions on gender equality. DFID, FCO and other HMG teams already work closely together to realise the ambitions of the Strategic Vision. The Prime Minister has been clear that girls’ education is a key priority for this Government.
As part of the merger discussions, we will refresh and build on existing strategies, as well as develop new approaches. We do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality changing. The challenges of girls’ education, sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), violence against women and girls (VAWG), women’s political empowerment and women’s economic empowerment are as acute now, if not more so, as when we published the strategy in 2018.