Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance was spent in (a) Least Developed Countries, (b) Lower Middle Income Countries and (c) Upper Middle Income Countries in Asia in 2019.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The table below sets out UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend in Least Developed Countries, Lower Middle Income Countries and Upper Middle Income Countries in Asia as a proportion of total UK ODA.
| Total ODA Country Spend in Asia, 2019 £m | As a % of total UK ODA* |
Least Developed Countries | £1,016 | 6.7% |
Lower Middle Income countries | £937 | 6.2% |
Upper Middle Income Countries | £328 | 2.2% |
Source: Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2019,
* please note the Statistics on International Development publication calculates income group spend as a proportion of ODA assigned to a specific country rather than total ODA
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his new Department plans to allocate the majority of its Official Development Assistance spending to programmes in the Least Developed Countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Prioritising the least developed countries and the bottom billion will remain at the very centre of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. We have made sure that our Official Development Assistance in 2020 remains prioritised on poverty reduction for the 'bottom billion', as well as tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, championing girls' education, UK leadership in the global response to COVID-19, and campaigning on issues such as media freedom and freedom of religious belief, thereby ensuring that the UK is a global force for good.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help end the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan by urging Armenia to withdraw its military forces from the illegally occupied territories of Azerbaijan as stated in UN Security Council resolutions adopted in 1993.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We acknowledge the importance of these UN Security Council Resolutions, which reaffirm the primacy of the OSCE Minsk Group as the international forum via which a peaceful settlement to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be reached. We consider that the Basic Principles for a settlement proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs provide the basis for a reasonable compromise in this regard, taking due account of the relevant OSCE principles governing relations between member-states.
I raised UK concerns regarding on-going military action in Nagorno-Karabakh with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers on 28 September and urged both parties to return to the negotiating table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to ensure that official development assistance is spent effectively on tackling poverty and gender inequalities after the merger of his Department and the Department for International Development.
Answered by James Duddridge
Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. The UK International Development Act (Gender Equality) 2014 also makes a consideration of gender equality in all UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) a legal requirement, ensuring that gender equality remains at the heart of our work.
The Prime Minister is committed to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on gender equality and poverty. We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction. As the Prime Minister has said, the work of UK aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the new Department's mission.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The longstanding position of the UK Government is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Events in Kashmir can have regional and international implications and we urge calm and caution from all. We follow developments closely.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Kashmir; and if he will he make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Events in Kashmir can have regional and international implications and we continue to urge calm and caution from all. We are following the situation closely. We welcome reports that restrictions on landline and mobile phone communications have been lifted. But we remain concerned at the ongoing detentions and continued restrictions on internet use in some areas. We are in regular contact with the Governments of India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister has spoken to both Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan about the situation in Kashmir, underlining the importance of maintaining dialogue. The Foreign Secretary has also raised his concerns about the situation with the Indian Minister for External Affairs Dr Jaishankar.