Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reduced Official Development Assistance funding for research and development on (1) the public health sector, and (2) the health of UK citizens.

In line with the requirements of the International Development Act (2002), our Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds take as their focus the social and economic development and welfare of countries identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). As per OECD and IDA requirements, we do not use these funds for the development and welfare of citizens or sectors in the UK or other High-Income Countries. Though there will inevitably be some secondary or indirect benefit to the UK derived through our ODA-funded research partnerships, it would not fit the purpose of ODA funding to actively consider this when making ODA spending decisions.