Question
A significant number of my constituents have written to me expressing support for UNICEF’s “No Choice But Childhood” campaign. When reductions are made to the UK’s aid budget, it is the most vulnerable children around the world who face the consequences of that decision first. Will the Secretary of State or the Minister commit to working with UNICEF to increase funding in the aid budget for children at this critical point? Conflict is increasing around the world, yet so many countries are decreasing their aid for those in conflicts.
Answer
As the hon. Member will appreciate, the money that we allocate for vaccination, and indeed the wider health portfolio, which was protected in our recent round of allocations, benefits children almost exclusively; the money that we spend on education also benefits children almost exclusively. There are other large parts of our portfolio, including humanitarian and climate action—I imagine that he shares our determination to achieve good outcomes in those areas—in which it is not possible or desirable to ringfence spending specifically for children, although children are outsized beneficiaries of that action. My job is to ensure that we get the maximum impact for every single pound of UK overseas development assistance. Some of it is specifically ringfenced for children, but much of it benefits their families and wider communities, too.22% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply responds to the question only in part. It defends existing aid allocations as already benefiting children and explains why ringfencing funds for children is not considered possible or desirable in humanitarian and climate work, which gives a partial, implicit answer on whether funding will increase. It never addresses the proposed work with UNICEF, and it does not clearly say yes or no on increasing child-focused funding, so the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Secretary of State or the Minister commit to working with UNICEF to increase funding in the aid budget for children at this critical point? | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply never states whether the Government will increase child-focused aid funding or work with UNICEF. It implicitly declines by defending existing allocations as already benefiting children and explaining that ringfencing for children is not possible or desirable in humanitarian and climate action, but it stays silent on the UNICEF partnership and does not clearly say no to an increase. |