Question
Overseas aid is critical to improving our security not just at home but around the world. It improves resilience, strengthens institutions and enables our Commonwealth brothers and sisters to thrive. The Minister references defence and national security spending decisions. I am sure he recognises how ODA investment makes our interests at home and overseas more secure. I am particularly concerned to see the cuts to funding for countries with existing programmes from £546 million to £131 million. Can the Minister explain in more detail how those cuts have been assessed and what impact they may have on programmes that are already in progress and on our security at home and overseas?
Answer
I am more than happy to explore in more detail with the hon. Gentleman individual country profiles and work, although this is published in the usual way in terms of the impact of decisions on countries. I will make a wider point, and he touched on it in his question: these are difficult decisions—I am not shying away from that—but I believe they are the right ones.20% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (27/100)
The minister's reply only partly answers the question. It gives the department's view that the country decisions are difficult but right, but offers no figures or reasoning, and it points to published impact assessments rather than stating the expected effect on programmes already under way. The question about the impact on UK security is not addressed at all. Most of the reply is hedged, so the person who asked would likely need to follow up for specifics on all three parts.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department's assessment or view of the reductions in funding for countries with existing programmes, from £546 million to £131 million. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The minister states the department's view that the decisions are difficult but right, which speaks to the 'view' requested, but gives no figures or reasoning about the reductions and only offers to explore country profiles in more detail later. |
| What impact the department expects these reductions to have on programmes that are already in progress. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply only points to the usual published impact assessments for country decisions without stating what impact is expected on programmes already under way, so the substantive answer is left to documents the reply does not summarise. |
| What impact the department expects these reductions to have on the UK's security at home and overseas. | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply announces a 'wider point' but never mentions UK security at home or overseas, so the question about expected security impact is not engaged with. |