Select committee: International Development Committee
Recommendation 10
Fourth Report - Effectiveness of UK aid: potential impact of FCO/DFID merger
Published 16 Jul 2020
Paragraph 77
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
International Development Committee Effectiveness of UK AID All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
In the face of pandemic-related budget cuts, difficult decisions will need to be made as to how savings can be made whilst protecting the overall effectiveness of aid spending. Given the grave challenges faced by developing countries in tackling COVID-19, disproportionately cutting long-term and locally led development programmes would hamper both present efforts to tackle the pandemic and long- term development goals. The Government should maintain a commitment to multi- year programming and grants to locally led projects in order to safeguard hard-won development gains. In its current review of ODA spending, it should prioritise life- saving projects across the global south.
From: International Development Committee, Fourth Report - Effectiveness of UK aid: potential impact of FCO/DFID merger (HC 596), paragraph 77, 16 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 2 October 2020 (deadline 16 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government defends the merger of DFID and the FCO as the right decision, saying it will "maximise the impact of our aid budget", and responds to the Committee's other recommendations with commitments, some qualified.
- On the merger, it says it "was right to take the decision to create the FCDO when we did", and says it is "monitoring the costs" but "at this stage it is too early to assess what these will be".
- On the proposal for a Minister for Development attending Cabinet, it states only that "The Foreign Secretary is responsible for development and aid spend."
- On a target for programmes to achieve a minimum ICAI grading of 'green/amber' within a year, it says it strives for this "where applicable" and does not set the target. It expects the FCDO to be assessed in the next Aid Transparency Index, "next occurring in 2022".
- On scrutiny, it says the structure and remit of Select Committees "is a matter for Parliament". ICAI will continue, with a broadened mandate and a commissioned review of its remit, and the form of scrutiny after the merger "will be set out in due course".