Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Annual Report and Accounts

The International Development Committee took evidence on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) annual report and accounts for the financial year 2020 to 2021. One area of questioning was around figures that show a reduction in direct UK aid to the poorest countries. The Committee also asked about reports that the government intends to ‘rebadge’ as development aid some elements of government spending usually counted under other budgets. If this is the case it could reduce the annual UK budget available for items more typically classed as aid by billions of pounds. There are reports that Covid-19 vaccine donations and cancelling Sudan’s debts to UK Export Finance (a body under the Department for International Trade) could be counted as aid. The Committee asked questions about staffing issues at the FCDO. This will relate to the financial year 2020-21 and include information about any changes brought about by the merging of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.