Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2017 to Question 59052, what the reason was for the increase in funding on Official Development Assistance by his Department from £11 million in 2014 to £32 million in 2015; what such figures are for 2016; and what the (a) cost and (b) purpose is of each project in receipt of such funding in each such year.

The increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) expenditure between 2014 and 2015 was due to the launch of new programmes and the inclusion of particular initiatives as ODA for the first time. This is reflected in the 2016/17 figures.

In 2014 the Department paid an ODA eligible contribution to the World Health Organization (WHO) of £11 million. The WHO provides leadership and co-ordination in global health for its 194 member countries.

In 2015 the Department reported ODA expenditure of £32 million as detailed in the 2016 UK Statistics on International Development publication (page. 53) available at:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-2016

The Department’s total 2016/17 ODA budget is £149 million. 2016 ODA expenditure will be reported in compliance with ODA rules and published as a UK government statistical publication in December 2017.