Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Cunningham and Harriett Baldwin

Wednesday 17th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

11. What plans his Department has to help develop public services in developing countries.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Harriett Baldwin)]

The UK is committed to supporting countries to achieve the global goals, including through the development of strong public services. We are working with low-income countries to raise and manage public revenues and to invest in education and health systems to provide essential public services for all.

[Alex Cunningham]

I am grateful for that answer. Building strong public services is crucial to achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals, but countries in the global south are losing out on billions of pounds of revenue each year due to tax avoidance—money that could be spent on building up those services, which are needed by their citizens. What practical steps is the Minister taking to ensure that countries in the global south are supported to ensure that multinational corporations and others who should be paying taxes actually do so?

[Harriett Baldwin]

I am very pleased to say that we have taken probably the most powerful practical step of all by setting up a specialist tax department—the hon. Gentleman rightly highlights the issue—within the Department for International Development. We are spending £47 million to help low-income countries increase their tax revenues, and every £1 we put in has raised revenues by £100.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Cunningham and Harriett Baldwin

Tuesday 4th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Africa (Harriett Baldwin)]

I know that my hon. Friend contributed to the Westminster Hall debate that took place last week, thanks to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and the Backbench Business Committee. In that, I outlined the way in which our high commission is working with not only the national Government, but the state Government and community and religious leaders, and offering its help to support reconciliation and mediation in this growing crisis.

[Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab)]

T5. Earlier this year, in response to deaths on the Gaza border, the Minister said that the Government would support Israel’s investigation into them and push for an international element to those investigations. How is he getting on with that?