Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her Commonwealth counterparts on tackling (a) malaria and (b) other global health threats.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Discussions with Commonwealth members and other countries on global health threats including malaria take place through a number of international bodies, for example the World Health Organization, the UN General Assembly, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The Secretary of State for International Development has visited Commonwealth countries including India, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone since taking office, and has used these visits to discuss a range of critical issues, including health and development.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department has provided to Palestine in the last two years; and what assessment she has made of the results of such assistance.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID provided almost £157 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) between 2014/15 and 2015/16 to help build Palestinian institutions, deliver basic services and promote economic development. DFID has either met or exceeded the majority of its targets for programmes in the OPTs.
DFID supported over 390 companies to improve their operations and increase competitiveness. In each of the two years, through UNRWA support, over 26,000 families received social transfers (either food or cash) and almost 45,000 children were provided basic education. Furthermore, over 1.6 million medical consultations were provided over the two years.
In addition to this support, the UK provided more than £17m in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. Non-food Item (NFI) packages were provided for 23,400 families covering their needs for three months.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to encourage the promotion of LGBT rights through its work with recipients of UK aid.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
'DFID’s approach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights’ was published in February 2016 on the UK Government website. It outlines how DFID will focus on building clarity and narrative around non-discrimination in development and identifying and engaging with the Southern voices.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what work her Department is carrying out using its funding priorities to encourage gender equality around the world.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Promoting the rights of girls and women is a priority for the UK’s development programme. The UK Aid strategy states that ‘Throughout all its development spending, the government will continue to prioritise the needs of girls and women, which has been fundamental to the UK’s approach to development’ (para 3.2.1).
DFID’s Strategic Vision for Girls and Women (published in 2011, refreshed in 2013) sets out how UK Aid is being used to unlock the potential of girls and women, to stop poverty before it starts. To reinforce this, the Gender Equality Act was passed in the UK law on 13th May 2014. Through the Act there is a legal requirement to consider, before providing development assistance and alongside other considerations, how the assistance will contribute to reducing gender inequality.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding priorities her Department has in Bangladesh.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Our priorities in Bangladesh reflect those of the wider UKAid Strategy:
Running through all of these priorities is a commitment across all of our work to support women’s empowerment and addressing early marriage, promoting voice and choice for all girls
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department's work (a) does not reach unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project.
Answered by Nick Hurd
At every stage in the programme cycle DFID assesses and mitigates the risk that aid could be diverted from its intended purpose or project. DFID provided a comprehensive written answer on 29 March 2016 [Hansard ref 31732] which set out in more detail the steps DFID take to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department's work (a) does not end up in unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project. In addition, DFID’s Counter Fraud and Whistleblowing Unit will take all necessary steps to investigate swiftly all allegations of corruption and fraud and pursue sanctions available in each case, including dismissal, prosecution, suspension and cancellation of aid.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness of the projects to which UK aid contributes abroad and of the long-term effect those projects have on the UK.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Department for International Development’s communications demonstrate how UK aid reduces extreme poverty, tackles global challenges and is in Britain’s national interest.
We raise awareness of our work and its results in a number of different ways.
A recent example is the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in February. Through extensive work with the media and partners, we helped the public at home and abroad to understand why the conference was needed, how the money raised will make a difference, and how they can get involved. The public had more than 222m opportunities to see or hear about the conference; media coverage of the conference was extensive and overwhelmingly positive. We are continuing to communicate the longer-term impact of the conference and explain why supporting people in the region is in the UK’s interest.
Another example is our recent work to mark International Women’s Day. This positioned the UK as a world leader on securing rights for girls and women. Ministers attended eight public events to mark the day and spoke about DFID’s work on girls and women. The public had 252m opportunities to see or hear about our activity through the media, and a further 1.5m people were reached through digital activity.
DFID has a strong following online and provides regular updates about its work and achievements through: Twitter (www.twitter.com/dfid_uk), Facebook (www.facebook.com/ukdfid) and Dev Tracker (devtracker.dfid.gov.uk).
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mechanisms are in place to ensure funding from her Department reaches the project for which it is intended.
Answered by Nick Hurd
As set out in the UK aid strategy we are determined to ensure that aid is focussed on tackling the global challenges of our time, in order to eliminate poverty and advance the UK’s national interest. The Department for International Development works with many suppliers and partners to deliver hundreds of individual programmes, often in complex and high risk environments. It has rigorous internal systems and processes to ensure that its aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and delivers the intended results. These are reflected in a detailed programme management framework (known as the Smart Rules) which sets out rules and principles designed to ensure all funding is spent as intended and delivers value for money.
Due Diligence Assessments are undertaken on organisations receiving funding from DFID. The Department also uses delivery chain maps to understand the number and complexity of suppliers involved in a programme and how funds flow to the beneficiaries. These tools allow us to identify, understand and manage potential risks as programmes are delivered and to ensure that funds are properly accounted for. Risk levels are regularly reviewed and programmes closed if risk levels rise too high.
All programmes that are being implemented undergo a rigorous formal annual review which assesses and records whether funds have been used for their intended purposes and the results that have been delivered. Risks or issues identified during the review are recorded, addressed and monitored. In areas of high risk, particularly in fragile and conflict affected areas, the Department often uses monitoring agents, independent audits, and other additional safeguards.
All organisations who receive funding from DFID have to provide evidence about the use of funds, including through annual audited statements. DFID’s Internal Audit Department provides further checks that programme funding reaches the intended recipients and reviews the work of all overseas offices every two years. This is supplemented by the National Audit Office and the Independent Commission on Aid Impact who provide independent scrutiny over the use of the aid budget.