Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the compliance of the TradeConnect initiative with Official Development Assistance requirements.

Trade Connect, a new £20m programme to help firms in developing countries remove ‘last mile barriers to export’, is focused on creating jobs and raising incomes to promote sustainable economic growth. The programme has been assessed to be compliant with the terms of spending ODA under the International Development Act 2002. The Trade Connect programme will help firms export to more to international markets and will not be restricted to direct trade with the UK or UK Companies.