Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Paragraph: 86
Aid spending through the FCO continues to raise concerns relating to transparency and quality of...
Recommendation
Aid spending through the FCO continues to raise concerns relating to transparency and quality of programming. With the new FCDO set to become the largest Effectiveness of UK aid: potential impact of FCO/DFID merger 39 implementing department of UK aid spending, this trend is very concerning. The Government should set out how it intends to ensure that ODA administered through the new FCDO meets high standards for transparency in its programming. Consequently, it should commit to all UK ODA funding meeting the transparency standard of ‘good’ within the next year.
Paragraph Reference:
86
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The UK is globally recognised for its expertise and transparency in aid spending. The new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to benefit from that expert knowledge as it delivers aid programmes to some of the world’s poorest people. We are committed to improving transparency of aid globally and maintaining our high standards for overseas spending. Work has begun to bring together DFID and FCO’s different data systems, to support efficiency and aid transparency. We anticipate that FCDO will be assessed in the next Aid Transparency Index (next occurring in 2022). We will continue to be accountable to parliament and to taxpayers for how we spend UK aid. The ‘Devtracker’ tool will be maintained as an effective way of presenting aid spending to the public alongside other methods.