Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 9 of the report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, published in September 2016, what her Department's policy is on that panel's recommendation that instances of undue political and commercial pressure on WTO members using TRIPS flexibilities should be reported to the WTO secretariat during the Trade Policy Review of its members.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
DFID agrees with the panel’s recommendation within the Report from the UN HLP on ATM concerning the right of WTO Members to use TRIPS flexibilities. The UK Government is committed to ensuring access to low cost, effective medicines in the developing world. We support the Doha Declaration on Public Health and, in line with the declaration, support developing countries in utilising Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities particularly in the case of national health emergencies such as pandemics. The UK also publicly supported Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in their recent request to be exempt from compliance with the WTO TRIPS agreements until 2021.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's contribution to the Prosperity Fund was allocated to (a) coal, oil and gas projects and (b) renewable energy projects in each financial year since 2013-14.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
For 2013/14 to 2015/16, the Prosperity Fund was funded from FCO’s budget. For 2016/17 a new cross government Prosperity Fund is being managed by the National Security Secretariat; this new fund has its own Spending Review settlement.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's contribution to the Prosperity Fund was allocated to energy projects in each financial year since 2013-14.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
For 2013/14 to 2015/16, the Prosperity Fund was funded from FCO’s budget. For 2016/17 a new cross government Prosperity Fund is being managed by the National Security Secretariat; this new fund has its own Spending Review settlement.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 21 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16, what assessment she has made of progress against its target of doubling its funding on improving tax systems in developing countries by 2020.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK is recognised as a global leader in tax and development, working to end aid dependency in developing countries. The UK, as a founding signatory to the Addis Tax Initiative, pledged to double our spend on tax and development by 2020. My Department has made strong progress and is on course to deliver this commitment by 2020.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether official development assistance (ODA) spent by her Department on anti-corruption activities has reduced as a result of her Department's overall expenditure on ODA between 2014-15; and whether other government departments have taken over any spending on anti-corruption activities that were previously funded through her Department's expenditure on ODA.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The latest information is available for 2013-2014, as set out in Table 1 below.
Table 1: UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) for anti-corruption activities 2013-2014, £ million 1
| 2013 | 2014 | ||
| £m | % of total ODA | £m | % of total ODA |
Total UK Net ODA on anti-corruption activities | 565 | 4.9% | 654 | 5.6% |
Of which: | ||||
Bilateral | ||||
Department for International Development | 362 | 3.2% | 385 | 3.3% |
Non -DFID | 8 | 0.1% | 7 | 0.1% |
Multilateral | ||||
Department for International Development | 190 | 1.7% | 245 | 2.1% |
Non -DFID | 4 | 0.0% | 17 | 0.1% |
Total UK Net ODA | 11,424 |
| 11,726 |
|
Source: Statistics on International Development
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure that every government and organisation which her Department funds meets global transparency standards.
Answered by Rory Stewart
We require our centrally funded civil society and private sector suppliers to publish details of how they spend UK funding in line with international transparency standards. The department has also reviewed the extent to which multilateral partners are meeting or going beyond these standards, to promote transparency globally and in the countries where they work. DFID supported adoption of new international commitments relating to transparency and anti-corruption, including commitments in the “Grand Bargain” for humanitarian action, and under Cabinet Office leadership, the Open Government Partnership. DFID has increased, and continues to increase, country programming on tax and other areas supporting fiscal transparency.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to continue to fund (a) innovative projects on anti-corruption and transparency and (b) country-specific anti-corruption strategies.
Answered by Rory Stewart
My Department will continue to fund innovative projects on anti-corruption and transparency. The Secretary of State for International Development has confirmed that transparency and accountability are at the top of her agenda. Moreover the London Anti-Corruption Summit committed to a range of innovative approaches to fighting corruption globally, many of which DFID will support. This includes increased use of company beneficial ownership registers and improved open public contracting standards. DFID will also contribute towards a new UK-led Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub. It will establish a network across countries, businesses and civil society to share know-how, identify opportunities for collaboration and connect technology and data experts with law enforcement and civil society.
DFID has refreshed anti-corruption strategies for our priority country programmes. These take into account the issues and ambitions created by the Summit and the forthcoming UK Anti-Corruption Strategy. DFID will support our partner countries to implement their Summit commitments where appropriate.