Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reasons the Government provides development assistance to countries with a space agency.

UK aid aims to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s objectives as set out in the 2015 UK Aid Strategy. This is firmly in the UK’s national interest. As such, the UK focuses most of its aid spending on countries with the highest need; in low-income, fragile, and conflict-affected regions. However, in some middle-income countries there are still enduring high levels of poverty. These countries may no longer need grant aid in the form that we have previously provided, but may require assistance in other ways, such as technical expertise or help raising their own revenue to reduce poverty. This assistance may continue after a country has reached middle-income status and its economy modernises. The 2016 bilateral and multilateral development reviews set out our approach to allocations in more detail. As the Secretary of State has made clear, DFID will not just spend aid well, but will ensure that it could not be spent better.