Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the First Secretary of State’s announcement of a £2.9 billion package of reductions to the Government’s planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend for 2020 on 22 July, what arrangements they have put in place to tailor ODA spending further during the remaining months of the year.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department, working with HM Treasury and other Government departments, is continually planning to ensure the UK meets its Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. As normal, there will continue to be adjustments in-year to individual departmental ODA spend to meet the 0.7% target. DFID has been preparing for this by working with our Ministers and other aid spending Departments to prioritise our lifesaving aid, stop the spread of coronavirus and ensure our aid delivers the best value for money for the British taxpayer.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what savings will make up the £2.9 billion package of reductions to the Government’s planned Official Development Assistance spend for 2020 announced by the First Secretary of State on 22 July, including (1) forecast underspends, (2) delays to planned activity, and (3) cancellation of planned spending.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The First Secretary led a careful review process to look at every strand of the ODA budget and assess the impacts of spend. Ministers prioritised programmes based on strategic objectives such as poverty reduction for the ‘bottom billion’, tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, championing girls’ education, and the global response to Covid-19. Currently we are discussing specific savings with suppliers and partners and we will publish the revised ODA allocations in due course after this process has been completed.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process they reached decisions on the £2.9 billion package of reductions to the Government’s planned Official Development Assistance spend for 2020 announced by the First Secretary of State on 22 July.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The First Secretary of State, supported by the International Development Secretary and ministers from ODA spending departments, led a cross government review to identify reductions in this year’s ODA budget needed to meet the 0.7% commitment. The careful review process looked at every strand of the ODA budget and assess the impacts of spend. Several review sessions were held in which Ministers prioritised programmes based on strategic objectives such as poverty reduction for the ‘bottom billion’, tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, championing girls’ education, and the global response to Covid-19.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that cuts made as part of the £2.9 billion package of reductions to the Government’s planned Official Development Assistance spend for 2020 announced by the First Secretary of State on 22 July will focus on programmes that have been found to be less effective in achieving poverty reduction.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The First Secretary led a careful review process to look at every strand of the ODA budget and assess the impacts of spend. ODA spend for 2020 was prioritised to focus on key strategic objectives including poverty reduction for the ‘bottom billion’, tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, championing girls’ education, UK leadership in the global response to Covid-19, and protecting the UK’s science base. These priorities will help the government to deliver our manifesto commitments and ensure that the UK is a global force for good.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that an inclusive approach, which includes older people, to humanitarian responses will continue to be one of the priorities of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK is committed to ensuring that our assistance reaches the most marginalised and vulnerable people who will be the worst affected by humanitarian crises and most at risk. This includes older people as well as other marginalised groups, such as women and girls, and people with disabilities.
We are deeply concerned about the significant impact of COVID-19 on older people, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups. Through £50 million of support to over 29 countries, UK aid is helping to meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups, including older people, through effective communication about personal hygiene, particularly the importance of handwashing. DFID is also engaging internationally to push for greater consideration of vulnerable groups, including older people, across the COVID-19 response.
Support for the most marginalised and vulnerable populations remains part of this government’s mission. We will continue to prioritise those furthest left behind and champion the inclusion of vulnerable groups in our humanitarian responses.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to contribute to the UN’s COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan appeal; and when they intend to announce their contribution.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK strongly supports the UN’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) to tackle COVID-19. So far, we have pledged up to £764 million of UK aid to support the global effort to combat COVID-19. From this, £220 million has gone to UN agencies in the GHRP, such as the World Food Programme and UN Refugee Agency, as well as humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross and international NGOs.
DFID is also adapting its programmes across its country network to respond to COVID-19 and address the needs of the most vulnerable, as outlined in the GHRP.
As a leading donor to the COVID 19 global response and one of the biggest humanitarian donors globally, we are ensuring that our support goes to those who need it the most, including refugees and other forcibly displaced populations. The UK has lobbied successfully at the UN to ensure that vulnerable groups such as refugees are taken into consideration and prioritised in the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support less economically developed countries to remove all financial barriers to healthcare to deliver free testing and treatment for COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK champions universal health coverage (UHC) as vital to ensuring access to quality essential health services for all and helping to protect everyone from infectious diseases, including COVID-19. UHC includes ensuring that no one is impoverished through paying for health services and reducing financial barriers to access especially for the poorest and most vulnerable. Our programmes help poor and vulnerable people to meet food and other basic needs including direct and indirect costs of health care, such as transport so they can access essential health services.
The UK has, so far, pledged £764 million of UK aid to help end the COVID-19 pandemic, in support of the coordinated international response through the international financing institutions, multilaterals and global health initiatives, and DFID programmes. This is to meet the urgent health, humanitarian and economic needs of vulnerable people in developing countries. This funding includes up to £40 million to the Wellcome Therapeutics Accelerator and up to £23 million to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, both of which are central to efforts to accelerate development and access to new COVID-19 treatments and tests.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the £744 million in aid they have committed to address COVID-19 has been allocated to provide frontline assistance to less economically developed countries.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We have committed up to £764 million of UK aid funding to date, to support global efforts to combat COVID-19.
This includes up to £296 million to support and enhance resilience in vulnerable countries, encompassing:
We have also provided up to £150 million of UK aid funding to the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to help developing countries meet their debt repayments so that they can focus their available resources on tackling COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, through the UN, to reinforce the need for formal registration documents for each child so that in times of crisis children with no fixed household can be identified.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is committed to supporting efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 which aims to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030. The Government continues to advocate for the issuance of civil documentation in specific post-conflict countries through UN mechanisms, including the Security Council Working Group for Children and Armed Conflict.
Last year DFID approved a four-year £15 million Digital Identity as an Enabler for Development programme to support the World Bank Group’s Identification for Development initiative to implement trusted, secure, universal and inclusive digital Identification and civil registration systems from birth to death in over 40 countries.
Children on the Move is a DFID-funded 3-year programme (2017-2020) working with UNICEF to help children on the move in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan. In Somalia the work includes providing children with a legal identity, without which they are at a greater risk of family separation, trafficking and illegal adoption. In 2019, 101,300 children were provided with legal identity documents including a birth certificate.
As well as this, some of the £30 million which DFID is providing to the Global Financing Facility (GFF) supports birth registration in DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to educate and inform Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong Camp about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is reaching refugees with information and support to reduce rumours, myths, fear and panic about COVID-19, through the Communications with Communities Working Group. This includes a large array of methods to disseminate messages to refugees and the host community including community meetings where possible; radio, posters and leaflets, videos, loudspeakers and information service centres. Messages are being endorsed by the Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon, translated into the Rohingya language and Bangla, and are being developed in consultation with Rohingya people, including religious leaders, to ensure they are effective. Child-friendly messaging is also being used.