Select committee: International Development Committee
Recommendation 22
Ninth Report - Investment for development: The UK’s strategy towards Development Finance Institutions
Published 15 Sep 2023
Paragraph 116
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
International Development Committee Investment for development: The UK’s strategy towards Development Finance Institutions All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
BII must prioritise the monitoring and reporting of investment activity and transparently report its financial and impact data. This should include, but not be limited to: (a) the number and type of jobs created, (b) types and value of capital mobilised, (c) the 2X Challenge assessment of its portfolio according to the five 2X Challenge criteria, (d) how the 2X classification has improved an investee company above employment levels currently found in the market for a given country. BII must also adhere to publishing a full annual listing of its investments in coal, oil and gas so an external assessment can be made on its progress against its Climate Change Strategy and a net zero portfolio, as previously recommended within our 2021 report on UK Climate Action and International Development around COP26. The data should be complete for all BII’s investments, published in a timely manner and allow for comparability over time. Where investments have not achieved their planned annual impact outcomes, BII should disclose the reasons for any short-comings and set out its plan for recourse.
From: International Development Committee, Ninth Report - Investment for development: The UK’s strategy towards Development Finance Institutions (HC 884), paragraph 116, 15 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 7 December 2023 (deadline 15 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government states that it "accepts or partially accepts all recommendations" on British International Investment (BII) and will work with BII to implement relevant reforms, including in negotiations for the 2027 to 2031 strategy.
- On governance, it "partially accepts" Recommendation 1 but "does not agree" that a government official taking a non-voting seat on BII's Board would enhance governance, citing risks such as "blurring lines of responsibility".
- On the British Investment Partnerships strategy (Recommendation 6), it accepts, but notes that consultation "will take time" and says it "does feel able to commit to publishing by summer 2024".
- On targets for BII, it says it is "not appropriate" to introduce multiple additional SMART targets in this strategy period, but the FCDO "will also review its SMART targets for BII as part of the next strategy period from 2027".
- On auditing and annual impact assessments, it believes a full rolling audit "would be disproportionate" but says Ministers "will review in 2024 whether additional spot checks" by external experts "are required".