Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average proportion is of the reduction in funding for projects funded from the official development assistance budget following the announcement of a reduction of £120 million in that budget for financial year 2021-22.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Unfortunately, we are unable provide a response to this question given that the question does not clearly state which budget the member is referring to.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what impact assessment was undertaken on the potential effect of the reduction of the official development assistance budget on research on emerging infections from animals or zoonoses.
Answered by James Duddridge
The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. Despite this, the UK remains a development superpower, with an ODA budget on track to exceed £10bn this year. FCDO ODA will be targeted to addressing seven global challenges facing the world poorest which includes global health security and research and technology.
FCDO will now work through what this means for individual programmes, in line with the priorities we have identified.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
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 potential effect of the reduction of the Official Development Assistance Budget for 2021-22 on employment opportunities in the UK research and Science sector.
Answered by James Duddridge
The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. Despite this, the UK remains a development superpower, with an ODA budget on track to exceed £10 billion this year. FCDO ODA will be targeted to addressing seven global challenges facing the world poorest which includes research, science and technology.
FCDO will now work through what this means for individual programmes, in line with the priorities we have identified. It is too soon to estimate the net effect on the UK research and science sector. UK universities, research institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs are and will continue to be key science and technology partners for FCDO. The full science settlement (ODA and non-ODA) means that overall public funds for UK scientists and innovators in 2021/22 are expected to increase compared to 2020/21.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of existing projects have been reduced following the decision to reduce the official development assistance budget.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are currently in the process of finalising programme portfolios at a country level. Full Official Development Assistance budgets, along with final audited spend for 2020/21, will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many no-cost extensions for projects funded by the Official Development Assistance budget have been refused since December 2020.
Answered by Nigel Adams
To date, since Dec 2020, FCDO has not refused any no cost extensions to contracts.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that Government policy on food (a) security and (b) supply complies with Article 11 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Answered by James Duddridge
In relation to international food security, the UK Government has a significant portfolio of agriculture projects in poorer countries (£322 million spend in 2018) focused on investing in commercial agriculture and livelihoods and on improving food security and sustainable food supply.
We are adapting our international programmes in agriculture, nutrition and food security in response to the current situation, made worse by COVID-19, to help reduce the scale of a major food security emergency; build resilience; and prepare for sustainable recovery. The UK helped achieve agreement at the G20 this year on actions to the free flow of agricultural products and other essential goods and services in response to COVID-19.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston of 20 August 2020, reference MC2020/17426.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
A response was sent on 2 October.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens are stranded in (a) Spain and (b) Europe as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Since the outbreak in Wuhan, we estimate that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes - the majority supported by our work to keep vital routes open. We have now brought home over 38,000 people on 186 special charter flights organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from 57 countries and territories. We believe the vast majority of British travellers seeking to return to the UK - and who don't have commercial options - have now done so. The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority. We remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return and that commercial routes are maintained.
At the current time, there remain commercial options to return to the UK from Spain and most countries in Europe. Our Embassy in Madrid have been working closely with the Government of Spain, airlines and other travel providers to keep vital routes open and help bring back British travellers to the UK. Our consular team continues to work around the clock to provide support, advice and information to British travellers in Spain. Our travel advice and social media pages are also regularly updated to ensure that those wishing to return are aware of further developments.
Through our embassies, and a dedicated central team, we are continuing to monitor whether there are more British travellers abroad seeking to return home immediately, how many, where they are located, whether there are commercial routes available to them and whether support is required.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total costs that will be incurred from the abolishing of the Department for International Development.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development are merging to form a new international department - the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. We will implement these changes in the most cost effective way possible. While we anticipate there will be cost savings in the long term as a result of using our resources more effectively and efficiently, it is not the primary goal of the merger of these two Departments. This is primarily about bringing together our international efforts so we can maximise the UK's influence around the world. By aligning our efforts, the merger will maximise our influence and expertise and ensure we are in the best position to confront the challenges that lie ahead. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.