Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour) on Monday, 8 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 November 2004. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Monday, 15 November 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are taken to ensure that development aid in Sri Lanka is not diverted to illegal or corrupt purposes.

Answer: Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are taken to ensure that development aid in Sri Lanka is not diverted to illegal or corrupt purposes. [197595] Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID takes careful precautions to prevent development aid funds being misused. We demand annual audited reports from all programmes we finance and reserve the right to commission independent audits should we deem necessary. The bulk of our funds are channelled through international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Financial management systems and audit in these organisations are thorough and regularly reviewed. Where we provide support through non-government organisations, such as OXFAM and Save the Children, DFID has reviewed their financial control and audit systems and confirmed that they are of high standard. Our programmes with the Sri Lankan Government are managed by reputable UK based consultants. Again DFID has reviewed their financial control and audit processes to confirm that they meet required standards.

Secondary information