Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the legality of reducing the percentage of Gross National Income spent on Official Development Assistance without introducing new legislation to do so.

The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on official development assistance when the fiscal situation allows. The Government is acting in line with the International Development Act 2015, which explicitly envisages that there may be circumstances where the 0.7% target is not met.

The Act also provides for the Secretary of State's accountability to Parliament through the requirement to lay a statement before Parliament and, if relevant, make reference to economic and fiscal circumstances. The Foreign Secretary has already committed to doing that.