Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224486 on Niger: Marie Stopes International (MSI), what assessment her Department has made of the validity of reports of Nigerien authorities enforcing the cessation of MSI abortion procedures at a number of their clinics.
Marie Stopes International are a valued partner in our comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights work.
DFID’s assessment is that we have seen no evidence of any illegal activity in Niger on their part and no formal allegations have been made to us. DFID funds cannot be used to fund any illegal activities. We treat allegations of any improper use of funds extremely seriously. The process for reporting allegations is on our website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development.