Written question asked by Lord Avebury (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 9 December 2011.

Somalia

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what grants they have made to the Somali Diaspora UK and the Council of Somali Organisations; and whether they will consider applications for assistance from United Kingdom Somaliland organisations.

Answer: Her Majesty's Government have not to date made grants to the Somali Diaspora UK or the Council of Somali Organisations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made grants to other Somali diaspora organisations. Both the FCO and the Department for International Development (DfID) would be willing to consider applications from UK diaspora organisations representing any region of Somalia. Funding decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis. DfID supports two global initiatives that diaspora groups can access: the Common Ground Initiative, managed by Comic Relief, and the Global Poverty Action Fund. Projects are selected on the basis of demonstrable impact on poverty, clarity of outputs and outcomes, and value for money.

Secondary information