Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Foreign Secretary on 16 November that funding will be restored for women and girls to its former level before the Overseas Development Assistance cuts, what year they plan to use as a benchmark for reinstating former funding levels; when they estimate that this commitment will be fulfilled; and whether the commitment includes restoring funding to sexual and reproductive health services.

On 16 November the Foreign Secretary announced how women and girls will be at the centre of our foreign policy priorities, with more than £20 million of new funding to help stop violence against women and girls around the world. We are restoring funding for women and girls to pre-ODA cut levels, focusing on giving more girls a quality education; ending the extremely harmful practice of female genital mutilation, supporting girls' health; and ending the abhorrent use of sexual violence around the world.

The UK is firmly committed to defending comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally - this includes family planning and maternal health, both central to the empowerment of women and girls. Any funding for SRHR will contribute to UK objectives to improve the lives of women and girls across the world. Following the Spending Review, decisions on allocations and individual programmes will be published in the usual way.