Written question asked by Michael Moore (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 10 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 12 March 2010. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 March 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Repatriation: Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding (a) his Department, (b) the Department for International Development and (c) the UK Border Agency has provided for the Returns and Reintegration Fund in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; whether any such funding is classified as development assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided £2.5 million to the Returns and Reintegration Fund (RRF) in 2008-09. There will be no further direct financial contribution to the fund from the FCO in 2009-10, but the Department supports the RRF through staffing and support throughout its global network. The Department for International Development provided £5 million to the RRF in 2008-09 and £11.5 million in 2009-10. UK Border Agency provided £4 million to the RRF in 2008-09 and £2.5 million in 2009-10.Only one RRF project in Jamaica currently to the value of approximately £1.5 million is classified as development assistance. Money transferred to the RRF from the Department for International Development is separate to the Department's Official Development Assistance eligible budget.

Secondary information