Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the allocation of UK aid to sub-Saharan Southern Africa.

All UK aid spend is closely monitored and evaluated, with published annual reviews to assess programme performance. Final 2020-21 spend will be published in Statistics on International Development in the autumn this year and will contain detailed breakdowns of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend for that period. The former Department for International Development's 2019-20 departmental report sets out the effectiveness of UK aid for that period, including in Africa. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact also exists to scrutinise aid spending.

In 2021-22 we have prioritised our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world. Following a thorough review, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate of COVID-19. FCDO will spend around half its bilateral ODA budget in Africa, where need is most acute, continuing to provide essential humanitarian assistance, including to those worst affected by conflict and COVID-19. We will support African countries to tackle climate change, deliver improvements to education, promote economic development, undertake conflict resolution and stabilisation, and develop more open, inclusive societies.