Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to introduce greater flexibility for existing donor funds for UK NGOs to support the covid-19 response.

The expertise, resilience and flexibility of our supply partners, both in the private sector and civil society, is vital to deliver UK aid to protect the most vulnerable in the world’s poorest countries.

DFID is currently reviewing its entire portfolio and assessing the expected impact of COVID-19 on our programmes, both in-country and centrally, and prioritising (in this order) the health and humanitarian response; livelihoods, social protection, and support to the governments of vulnerable countries. Many of these programmes are delivered in part or wholly through NGOs. We are assessing each of our programmes to evaluate their contribution to these objectives and for opportunities to adapt them to support the COVID-19 response.