Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of funding allocated to UK-based organisations spent on (a) overseas aid and (b) administrative costs within Wales in the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) data is collected and reported according to a standard international classification produced by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Following this classification, the amount of UK ODA delivered by UK and other donor country NGOs in the last five years[1] is:
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Net ODA | £488m | £662m | £759m | £772m | £710m |
The latest data is for calendar year 2016 and figures for 2017 will be published this autumn.
ODA flows are provided by official agencies and their executive agencies. The amount of UK ODA provided by the Welsh Government and delivered by donor-based NGOs is:
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Net ODA | £1m | £1m | £1m | £1m | £1m |
Source: Statistics on International Development
The information for (b) is not held in the form requested and can only be collated at disproportionate cost.
[1] Donor-based NGOs cover UK based NGOs as well as the NGOs of other donors. The figures included above will mainly consist of UK based NGOs however there are some amounts included for other donor NGOs delivering UK ODA, such as UK contributions to the Norway-based, Norwegian Refugee Council.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of funding given to UK-based organisations that has been spent on (a) overseas aid and (b) administrative costs within the UK over the last five years.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) data is collected and reported according to a standard international classification produced by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to this classification, the amount of UK ODA delivered by UK and other donor country NGOs in the last five years is given in the table below:
UK ODA spend delivered by donor1-based NGO, 2012-20162
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Net ODA (millions £) | £488m | £662m | £759m | £772m | £710m |
Source: Statistics on International Development
1. Donor-based NGOs cover UK based NGOs as well as the NGOs of other donors. The figures included above will mainly consist of UK based NGOs however there are some amounts included for other donor NGOs delivering UK ODA, such as UK contributions to the Norway-based, Norwegian Refugee Council.
2. The latest data is for calendar year 2016 and figures for 2017 will be published this autumn.
This classification does not include ODA spend by other types of UK based institutions (research institutions, universities and private sector organisations).
The information for (b) is not held in the form requested and can only be collated at disproportionate cost.
DFID works to reduce administrative costs charged by suppliers. The policy, which ensures a consistent approach, is followed across all contracts. The policy can be found on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652367/Cost-Eligibility-Guidance.pdf
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID applies the Ban the Box initiative to all recruitment campaigns subject to any exceptions for jobs with specific security requirements.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of job roles advertised within her Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID applies the Ban the Box initiative to all recruitment campaigns subject to any exceptions for jobs with specific security requirements.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase aid to the Palestinian Authority to £25 million as in the financial year 2016-17.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID is currently carrying out a Resource Allocation Round to confirm the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 budgets, following the November 2017 budget, and as such does not have a confirmed allocation for support to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Finalised official figures for the current financial year (2017/2018) will be released in due course. The UK remains committed to supporting Palestinians and is working closely with the PA to help build the institutions of a sovereign future Palestinian state needed for a viable two-state solution. In particular the UK is supporting the PA to deliver essential health and education services.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information his Department holds on the level of United Nations aid that has been given provided to (a) the Assad regime and (b) Eastern Ghouta in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Humanitarian organisations deliver aid directly to those in need across Syria. Neither the UK nor the UN delivers aid to the Assad regime.
Since 2012, the UK has allocated £835 million to support vulnerable people inside Syria including in besieged areas such as Eastern Ghouta, where DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground providing life-saving food, protection, and healthcare where access allows. We do not hold information on the amounts of aid the UN delivers to specific geographic areas in Syria.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the representatives of the United Nations on restoring the provision of humanitarian aid to Eastern Ghouta.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta remains severely constrained by the Assad regime. Where access allows, our partners including WHO and UNICEF are providing life-saving healthcare and protection. The UK continues to demand full and sustained humanitarian access in order to allow medical evacuations to take place.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid her Department has provided to (a) the Assad regime and (b) Eastern Ghouta in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Humanitarian organisations deliver aid directly to those in need across Syria. Neither the UK nor the UN delivers aid to the Assad regime.
Since 2012, the UK has allocated £835 million to support vulnerable people inside Syria including in besieged areas such as Eastern Ghouta, where DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground providing life-saving food, protection, and healthcare where access allows. We do not hold information on the amounts of aid the UN delivers to specific geographic areas in Syria.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information his Department holds on the level of United Nations aid that has been given provided to (a) the Assad regime and (b) Eastern Ghouta in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Humanitarian organisations deliver aid directly to those in need across Syria. Neither the UK nor the UN delivers aid to the Assad regime.
Since 2012, the UK has allocated £835 million to support vulnerable people inside Syria including in besieged areas such as Eastern Ghouta, where DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground providing life-saving food, protection, and healthcare where access allows. We do not hold information on the amounts of aid the UN delivers to specific geographic areas in Syria.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to UN bodies and the Syrian Government on humanitarian access to and urgent medical evacuations from Eastern Ghouta and other besieged areas in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta (as well as other hard-to-reach and besieged areas) providing life-saving food, protection, and healthcare including routine immunisation services against infectious diseases such as polio and measles. However, humanitarian access remains severely constrained.
The UK continues to demand full and sustained humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta at the UN and at every opportunity, and we have called on all parties to take all feasible measures to protect civilians, and allow emergency medical evacuations.