Written question asked by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 27 July 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 August 2020. It was answered by Baroness Sugg (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 August 2020 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Development Aid

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what management and oversight precautions, if any, they are putting in place to (1) increase accountability of aid spending; and (2) prevent non-attributable day-to-day spending being re-badged as aid.

Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that every pound spent on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) achieves maximum value for money for taxpayers based on the same high standards of accountability and effectiveness as all areas of public expenditure. Individual departments are responsible under public spending rules for monitoring all public money including their UK aid programming and ensuring that they deliver value for money. Robust parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget will continue – the form that Parliamentary scrutiny takes is for Parliament to decide. UK ODA continues to be spent in accordance with international rules on what constitutes aid as set by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Secondary information