Overseas Aid (Private Sector Contracts) Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for International Development
Martin Horwood
Main Page: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)Department Debates - View all Martin Horwood's debates with the Department for International Development
Overseas Aid (Private Sector Contracts)
Martin Horwood Excerpts(11 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Justine Greening
Our spending will be in line with the International Development Act 2002 and the ODA definition. The split of ODA across Departments can change. As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have done a lot of work with the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence in conflict and in fragile states. We will continue to look at how we can do that effectively, but I think I am less interested in where ODA sits than I am in the impact it has on the ground. If he really cares about getting the most out of the budget we have got, I hope he will prioritise that over taking cheap political shots.
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham) (LD)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Drawing on my experience in Oxfam, rather than the Labour party’s sources in the Daily Mail, does she agree that private sector decisions have a disproportionate impact on people’s lives, for good or ill, and that we have to engage with the private sector to have a complete view of development?
Justine Greening
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Major companies in the UK such as M&S know this as well—that is why it has NGOs such as Oxfam on its sustainable retail advisory board. It seems that the only people who have not caught up are the Opposition.