Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the UK Government's capability to support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Government is committed to supporting implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UK published a Voluntary National Review of progress towards the SDGs in June 2019. This is a comprehensive account of how government, business, civil society and others are contributing to the SDGs both at home and around the world. It also sets out areas of further work and next steps.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which five countries have received the largest proportion of Official Development Assistance in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table below shows the five countries which received the largest proportion of UK ODA in the last three years and their percentage share of the UK’s country-specific bilateral ODA.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||
Rank | Country | % Country-Specific Bilateral ODA | Country | % Country-Specific Bilateral ODA | Country | % Country-Specific Bilateral ODA |
1 | Pakistan | 9.6% | Pakistan | 8.2% | Pakistan | 7.3% |
2 | Syria | 7.3% | Nigeria | 6.7% | Ethiopia | 6.7% |
3 | Ethiopia | 6.9% | Ethiopia | 6.7% | Nigeria | 6.6% |
4 | Nigeria | 6.6% | Syria | 6.4% | Afghanistan | 5.5% |
5 | Afghanistan | 4.9% | Somalia | 5.8% | Syria | 5.1% |
Source: Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2018
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he is taking steps to prioritise infrastructure investment in (a) Asia and (b) South America; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Supporting infrastructure investment in Asia is a priority. DFID funds bilateral projects in six countries in Asia, for example the £265 million Pakistan Corridors Programme, the £46 million Accelerating Investment and Infrastructure in Nepal. The CDC and the predominantly UK financed Private Infrastructure Group also invest in Asia. In addition, in both Asia and South America the UK’s membership of the four multilateral developments working in these regions enables a substantial flow of infrastructure projects.
To accelerate progress further I established an Infrastructure Commission which reported earlier this month (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-development-infrastructure-commission-report). In response, DFID will scope and design a new Project Development Facility and will explore detailed options for expanding the use of guarantees and new structures to mobilise institutional investment into sustainable, resilient infrastructure.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to build food security capacity in countries at risk of food crisis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through its recent programme on improving agricultural and rural statistics, DFID has supported capacity building to collect statistics on food and agriculture in 40 African and 20 Asian-Pacific countries, including many at risk of food crises.
In Africa, where chronic hunger and the risk of food security crisis are greatest, DFID is strengthening capacity of the Southern Africa Development Community and its 16 member governments to conduct vulnerability assessments and analyses, which are used to improve the effectiveness of the response to acute food insecurity.
At the global level, DFID supported the development of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale perceptions survey which is now the primary way to monitor progress on the Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger. DFID programmes such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme use this to measure the impact of interventions, and give the poorest and most vulnerable a voice.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding his Department has allocated to aid programmes in Tanzania in each of the last three years; and what that funding has been spent on.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As published in the departmental Annual Report and Accounts, DFID bilateral programme outturns were £180,903,000 in 2016-17; £165,246,000 in 2017-18; and £152,876,000 in 2018-19. UK aid has supported the UK effort to tackle organised crime such as drug trafficking and illegal wildlife trade; improved education access and quality especially for girls and scaled up family planning services; helped reduce infant deaths and stunting through nutrition support; protected the environment by expanding renewable energy services; created jobs and trade by investing in infrastructure and agriculture; and shared the expertise of Britain’s democratic values and traditions to strengthen Tanzania’s judiciary and parliament.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to provide medical support to people with physical disabilities in developing countries.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
DFID supports programmes to strengthen country health systems, in order to achieve universal health coverage and end preventable deaths by 2030.
At the country level, we work with governments to prioritise meeting the needs of the poor and most vulnerable, including people with disabilities, so that they achieve better access to quality essential services without the risk of financial hardship. For example, DFID’s new flagship neglected tropical disease programme will also provide 100,000 operations to prevent or treat blindness caused by trachoma, plus provide operations and enable people to undertake self-led care to treat complications caused by lymphatic filariasis.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps he has taken to promote communications technology for development purposes.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
DFID recognises that mobile phones can be a cost-effective, large-scale channel for delivering a range of services and socio-economic benefits. Indeed, mobile coverage is expanding dramatically with 5.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2018. In July 2019, DFID’s Mobile for Development programme was extended. This is a multisectoral partnership with the global mobile industry (via the Global System for Mobile Communications Association) that unlocks and scales mobile-enabled innovations to deliver against the Sustainable Development Goal targets. To date it has impacted the lives of over 20 million people – over 70% of whom are women – and has leveraged over £250m of additional (mostly private sector) funding.
In partnership with mobile network operators, this programme delivers impact in key areas including digital inclusion for women and people with disabilities, expanding connectivity, mobile-enabled smart cities, water, sanitation and energy, and mobile-based tools for climate resilience. It has a cross-cutting agenda on inclusion and has developed tools to improve digital literacy that are being adopted by national regulators.
The programme will achieve its aims through a combination of research and analysis, catalytic funding for innovation and targeted advocacy within the mobile and technology industry.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps he has taken to ensure value for money in Overseas Development Assistance.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Driving value for money in UK aid is critical to delivering the global goals, tackling extreme poverty and enhancing global security.
DFID has robust controls and processes in place to ensure each pound spent improves poor people’s lives. Indeed, in a recent review from the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (February 2018), which assessed DFID’s approach to Value for Money in programme and portfolio management, it was noted that DFID’s systems “improve the return on UK investment in aid”. It recognised DFID as “a global champion on value for money” and noted that “Value for money is fully embedded in our systems and processes.”
While we know DFID deserves this praise, we also know we can always improve and are not complacent in our efforts to strengthen our approach. That is why we are seeking to develop a stronger approach to capturing the impact of our spend to ensure we deliver value for money across our portfolio.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the use of Official Development Assistance to help communities in developing countries protect endangered species.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Protecting biodiversity is a priority for this Government and I regularly hold discussions with Ministers on climate and environment issues, including protecting endangered species.
The government recently committed another £220 million to a new International Biodiversity Fund. This will fund a range of different activities including support to communities to help them protect endangered species and to benefit from their wildlife, for example through tourism.
UK Aid is also training rangers, border force agents and prosecutors, campaigning to reduce the demand for products in key markets, and supporting legislative reform to increase conviction rates and penalties for wildlife crime.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on development aid.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance is enshrined in law and in the Conservative manifesto and was re-affirmed by the Chancellor in the recently announced Spending Round on 4 September 2019. The Secretary of State reiterated this commitment in a recent International Development Committee oral evidence session on the priorities and future of the Department for International Development.