Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of her having sign-off and accountability for aid spending by other Government Departments.

Aid spending is subject to the same rules as all other public expenditure. In line with Treasury rules on Managing Public Money, departments through their accounting officers have ultimate and direct responsibility for their share of the aid budget and remain accountable to Parliament and UK taxpayers for how they spend it. The Government has well established mechanisms to govern aid spending and DFID provides support to other government departments to help strengthen the quality of their aid spending and maximise its impact on poverty.