Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what consultation the Government undertook with (a) humanitarian and development experts and (b) leading aid organisations before the decision was made to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create a new department, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form a new international department – the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders, including UK and international NGOs, in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first-class diplomatic service to make the UK a force for good in the world.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 16 June 2020 on Global Britain, if the Department for International Development budget will be ring-fenced for use within the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The budget of the new department will combine the FCO and DFID budgets. The government remains committed to the target of spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid, which is enshrined in law. As the Prime Minister has said and as reflected in the name of the new department, the development work of DFID will remain central to the new department’s mission.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 16 June 2020 on Global Britain, whether there will be a loss of (a) staff members and (b) expertise from the Department for International Development as a result of the merger of the Department of International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create a new department, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Merging the departments will bring together the best of what we do in aid and diplomacy, and create new opportunities for staff. The ambition, vision and expertise of DFID staff will be at the heart of the new department – taking forward the work of UK aid, which will remain central to our mission. There will be no compulsory redundancies.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the UK Government has provided to help people affected by the 2017 floods and mudslides in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK allocated up to £5m to provide clean water, sanitation services and hygiene kits to prevent a cholera outbreak; essential health and psychosocial services; and food and clothing to those affected, especially children. We also helped families to re-establish their lives by finding new accommodation and ensuring their children could return to school.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children displaced by climate change.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK is playing a leading role to assist children in developing countries affected by humanitarian crisis, disasters and forced migration induced by climate risks such as droughts and flood. We work with mandated protection agencies, including ICRC, UNHCR and UNICEF, as well as international NGOs, who advocate for children’s rights, set standards, and implement programmes such as family reunification, case management, education, psychosocial and mental health support.
Through the UK’s International Climate Finance we have also supported 21 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, helping families to respond to shocks and to adapt their livelihoods so they are more resilient in the future.