Conclusion 4

The shift in the increasing amounts of ODA administered outside DFID has created significant challenges for the management and oversight of ODA spending. More than one quarter of the UK aid budget is now spent outside DFID; and, as more bodies become responsible for aid spending, accountability for spending aid well appears to have been eroded. The Ministerial Group which reviews what everyone is doing with their ODA has not met since 2018. We are not convinced that all ODA programmes administered outside of DFID are adequately targeted towards poverty reduction or the most vulnerable. Furthermore, there is a significant risk that non- DFID government departments will rebadge day-to-day spending as aid and push the boundaries of what counts as aid.