Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to resume development assistance to Afghanistan.

The UK has played a leading role in the release of the almost $2 billion funds held within the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and Asian Development Bank to support the Afghan people. We have led international conversations on support within the education and livelihoods sectors and are working closely with international partners on future engagement in Afghanistan. We have committed £286 million in aid to Afghanistan this financial year (2022/23), matching the previous year's commitment. Our aid includes support to the UN's Humanitarian Appeal, to UN Agencies such as WFP and UNICEF and NGOs including AfghanAid and the International Rescue Committee. Our aid is providing life-saving support to the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.