Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the European Union's decision to refer to the Falklands Islands as Islas Malvinas.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since 1965 the United Nations has mandated the double nomenclature of "Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas" in UN-issued documentation and a number of countries have chosen to follow suit. In all fora at which the UK is present, the UK will continue to insist on the use of the name that the Islanders recognise and wish to use: the Falkland Islands. The UK remains committed to defending the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination and is unequivocal, including with the EU and its Member States, that there can be no discussions on sovereignty unless the Falkland Islanders wish. Following publication of the EU - Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Summit communiqué, the UK expressed its disappointment that the EU noted CELAC's position on the Islands. The EU publicly clarified their position has not changed.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's disciplinary policy makes clear that disciplinary matters are strictly confidential and identities of those involved are known only to those with a need to know in order to manage the case. The policy also makes clear that any breach of confidentiality would in itself be a disciplinary matter.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding for the Renewable Energy and Adaptation Climate Technologies (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund).
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies (REACT) programme's aim was to incentivise the private sector to invest in low-cost clean energy and adaptation technologies to raise incomes and help climate adaptation. Its effectiveness was assessed in its Project Completion Report, which scored the programme an 'A', denoting that it had achieved its expected aims. It supported a number of early-stage companies now attracting commercial investment, helped attract $150 million of matching investments, and paved the way for mini-grids being accepted as part of the rural energy mix in Tanzania.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Punjab Education Support Programme Two.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme (KESP) and The Punjab Education Sector Programme II (PESP II) ended in 2022. KESP has supported 155,837 children (including 69,702 girls) since 2016 to gain a quality education, and indirectly benefitted all 3.4 million primary school children enrolled in public schools in the province. At £430 million, PESP II was the UK's largest bilateral education programme and reformed and transformed delivery of education in Punjab, providing equitable access to better quality education across the province. Full project completion reports are available through the Development Tracker on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme (KESP) and The Punjab Education Sector Programme II (PESP II) ended in 2022. KESP has supported 155,837 children (including 69,702 girls) since 2016 to gain a quality education, and indirectly benefitted all 3.4 million primary school children enrolled in public schools in the province. At £430 million, PESP II was the UK's largest bilateral education programme and reformed and transformed delivery of education in Punjab, providing equitable access to better quality education across the province. Full project completion reports are available through the Development Tracker on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Enterprise and Assets Growth Programme.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Enterprise and Assets Growth Programme (EAGR) financed facilities that have supported over a million jobs including 600,000 jobs for women, and has supported nearly 850,000 beneficiaries to access financial services in Pakistan. This programme was designed to give micro, small and medium enterprises improved access to appropriate financial services, resulting in higher economic benefits for poor and marginalised groups. EAGR will also contribute to the UK government commitment to respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change by making green investments in Pakistan.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK's CABI membership.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is proud of CABI's effectiveness in using science to improve food security in developing countries and our investment in CABI's PlantwisePlus programme has received an A rating. The recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) Review of UK aid to agriculture in a time of climate change noted that CABI's work "strengthens capabilities in agricultural research and extension services of Member Countries".
The UK's membership offers access to their world leading expertise on plant pests and diseases and supports the FCDO's work to increase food production in developing countries. Participation in CABI's governance also provides the UK opportunities to influence CABI's strategy and build partnerships with, and understand the priorities of, other Member Countries.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled UK Aid Direct Fund: working with small and medium charities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The International Development Strategy sets out the FCDO's commitment to working in partnership with a diverse range of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). UK Aid Direct is the FCDO's main centrally-managed funding mechanism for small and medium sized CSOs based in the UK and overseas, working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
By July 2022, the programme had reached more than 9.7 million vulnerable and marginalised beneficiaries across 39 countries, through 196 grants. UK Aid Direct has continued to perform well against its output indicators and has met or exceeded expectations at every Annual Review.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Development and Economic Growth Research Programme.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Economic Growth Research Team in FCDO undertook performance assessments during the life of the Development and Economic Growth Research Programme (DEGRP), through the annual review process. The reviews consistently rated the programme's outputs as having met expectations. On completion of the programme in 2021, a programme completion review was undertaken to assess the programme's performance over its full lifespan. The review judged the programme as having successfully met expectations overall, having funded many high-quality academic publications across topics such as inclusive financial sector development, innovation and productivity growth in low-income countries. All programme assessments are published on DevTracker.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Support to Social Protection Programme grant.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Social Protection Programme grant has been assessed as effective in reaching those in need and achieving the expected impact. It was doubled in size to respond to the back-to-back crises of cyclones and COVID in 2019 and 2020, reaching almost one million poor and vulnerable households. The programme benefit was increased to the equivalent of £100 over a six-month period, an increase from the previous £39.6 that beneficiaries would receive over the same period.