Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses when selecting recipients for international climate finance.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
International Climate Finance is spent in countries according to their vulnerability to climate change, ability to fund their own adaptation, and high emissions or high future emissions pathways where climate mitigation, poverty reduction, and development co-benefits potential are greatest.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months. This will provide the predictability our teams need to effectively manage the transition to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).
UK aid to Afghanistan is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it is only used to help those in need. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners who are highly experienced at delivering in difficult circumstances. We do not give aid to the Taliban.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continuously examine all levers at our disposal to deliver for UK interests overseas, including foreign aid. We are currently reviewing allocations to all countries as part of the UK Government's move to reduce aid spending to 0.3 per cent of gross national income by 2027. Pakistan is an indispensable partner in keeping the UK safe from terror threats and organised crime, and some of the technical assistance we provide through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is integral to these efforts.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) efficiency, security and analysis. Over the last year, that has included using AI for language translation, document classification and data analysis, in support of the work of our policy and consular teams.
Through FCDO.ai, the Department is coordinating responsible adoption of this technology, including participation in the piloting of the cross government Microsoft Copilot tool. All activity is governed by our AI Acceptable Use Policy and established assurance processes. The Department will continue to develop capabilities aligned with UK principles on AI safety and work with partners across government and internationally to share best practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We will publish indicative ODA programme allocations for the next three years in due course.
The UK has transformed its relationship with India from donor to investor and partner. Investing the UK's ODA budget in supporting India's transition to clean energy helps mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change through bolstering the development of clean technology. Through UK investments and sharing expertise, we are also creating jobs, opportunities and inward investment for the UK.
This is a strategic investment in our partnership with the Indian Government, which we can make a return on. Last year our ODA spend in India was negative: we received more money back from investments made than we invested that year.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on responding to non-binding rulings of the United Nations International Court of Justice where they relate to the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While not legally binding, rulings such as the International Court of Justice's advisory opinions carry significant weight and are likely to be highly influential on any subsequent court or tribunal considering the same issues, so the UK will take them into account when formulating relevant policies.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will publish a list of projects focusing on improving equality, diversity and inclusion abroad that have received UK (a) foreign aid and (b) international development funding in the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend is available in the Statistics on International Development publications, which are available for 2023 and provisionally for 2024. Data is available broken down by sector for the 2023 publication, including social sector spending on health and education, and humanitarian aid.
Further information on specific programmes, including those with a specific focus on equalities, can be found on GOV.UK's Development Tracker.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much the UK has spent in (a) foreign aid or (b) international development funding on projects on improving equality, diversity and inclusion overseas in the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend is available in the Statistics on International Development publications, which are available for 2023 and provisionally for 2024. Data is available broken down by sector for the 2023 publication, including social sector spending on health and education, and humanitarian aid.
Further information on specific programmes, including those with a specific focus on equalities, can be found on GOV.UK's Development Tracker.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the location of Peng Shuai.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government remains deeply committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in China. We continue to monitor developments closely and raise issues of concern with Chinese counterparts at senior levels. The Prime Minister, Chancellor and former Foreign Secretary all raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts. We remain concerned about cases that raise broader questions around freedom of expression, and accountability, and we continue to work with international partners to support these principles.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department does not centrally record the number of remote workdays completed. However, building occupancy data is published monthly by the Cabinet Office and provides an indicative measure of office attendance across government departments. The latest figures are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data/monthly-average-hq-building-occupancy.