Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which development programmes funded by his Department are intended to help promote democracy in Commonwealth countries.

We work closely with Commonwealth partners, including through our programme funding, to promote core values that are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, such as democracy. Our project with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association undertakes assessments against a set of recommended benchmarks for democratic legislatures. In addition, FCDO programmes, such as the Magna Carta Fund, John Bunyan Fund and the ROLE UK Programme, currently include projects being delivered in Commonwealth countries to bolster democracy.