Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he, his Ministers or officials had with the Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change and UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency on the Government's decision to reduce funding to aid and climate change programmes in Malawi (a) before and (b) after her visit to that country in August 2021.

Despite the fiscal pressures caused by the COVID pandemic, the UK Government remains a world-leading donor, spending 0.5% of GNI on aid to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health; and we are committed to maintaining our five-year pledge to spend £11.6 billion on climate finance for developing countries. Earlier this year, cross-Whitehall Ministerial and senior official level discussions, convened by the Foreign Secretary, informed strategic decisions on how to allocate the UK's ODA budget of more than £10 billion for 2021/22. This included discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

In Malawi, the UK remains a significant development partner with support across a range of sectors including health, education, anti-corruption, private sector development, and climate and environment. Minister Trevelyan saw the positive impact of UK aid during her visit to Malawi earlier this month in her capacity as COP26 Champion for Adaptation and Resilience.