Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an estimate of the potential number of job losses (a) in the UK and (b) overseas as a result of the reduced Official Development Assistance allocations to UK Research and Innovation.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

BEIS is working with its ODA Delivery Partners, including UKRI, to manage the implementation of the 21/22 ODA settlement.