Aid Programmes: Africa

The Secretary of State Was Asked – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 12 July 2017.

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Photo of John Mann John Mann Labour, Bassetlaw 12:00, 12 July 2017

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid programmes in Africa.

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

UK aid plays a vital role in helping the world’s poorest and in tackling global challenges such as disease migration and terrorism. In Africa, since 2015, we have provided humanitarian assistance to 13.7 million people.

Photo of John Mann John Mann Labour, Bassetlaw

I congratulate the Secretary of State on her announcement this week on population. Given what Mrs Gates said about the impact on migration, will the Secretary of State consider how the core funding for organisations such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International can be reinstated to allow those organisations to deliver what they have been doing effectively for some years?

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right; these are important organisations. Of course, the United Kingdom has led the way on the whole issue of family planning, as we showed yesterday through the summit we held. We are constantly looking at how we can work with important partners on that critical issue and, in particular, on family planning and modern methods of contraception. We will of course review these programmes, too, as all programmes are always under review.

Photo of James Duddridge James Duddridge Conservative, Rochford and Southend East

In welcoming the fab decision by the Prime Minister to appoint a joint Minister from the Department for International Development and the Foreign Office to sub-Saharan Africa, will the Secretary of State confirm what her priorities are for driving forward Her Majesty’s Government’s priorities in Africa, rather than just DFID and FCO priorities?

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to commend the fact that the two Departments are working together on Africa. There is a very good reason for that. We are, of course, one HMG—one Government—and our priorities are the same priorities when it comes to Africa: tackling the big issues of disease, migration and economic development, which is critical, and growing regions such as Africa so that they can become our trading partners.

Photo of Stephen Twigg Stephen Twigg Chair, International Development Committee, Chair, International Development Committee

What is the Secretary of State’s assessment of the current humanitarian and political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? In particular, what are the Government doing to assist in tackling the humanitarian crisis there, but also to ensure that Congo can move to democratic elections as soon as possible?

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

I thank the hon. Gentleman, the Chair of the Select Committee, and congratulate him on his reappointment to that role. He is right to stress the significance of what is going on in the DRC. The situation is very worrying; there are many humanitarian pressures that we know of in-country, and the current electoral and democratic situation is not sustainable. We are of course working on the ground and with our partners to ensure that we continue to provide the support that is necessary to get the country back on track.

Photo of Luke Hall Luke Hall Conservative, Thornbury and Yate

In recent years, UK aid has played a key role in helping Ethiopia to become more resilient to crises by ensuring that people have a safety net so that they do not starve when a crisis hits. Does the Secretary of State agree that the British public can be immensely proud of all the work this Government have done?

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

My hon. Friend is right. I visited Ethiopia again recently—just a month ago—and saw UK aid in action. There is no doubt about the fact that UK aid is keeping people alive in the humanitarian situation, with the drought taking place there. However, at the same time, we are supporting the industrialisation of Ethiopia, with trade opportunities and British firms now creating jobs in the country.

Photo of Roberta Blackman-Woods Roberta Blackman-Woods Shadow Minister (International Development)

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact has reported that UK development assistance to Africa was down by a massive £20 million in 2016 and it warned that Africa is losing out on aid spending as the Government divert money to countries in Europe and Asia. Considering that Africa has the highest proportion of population living in extreme poverty, will the Secretary of State update the House on what she intends to do to reverse the cuts and to ensure Africa does not lose out on funding from DFID?

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel The Secretary of State for International Development

I welcome the hon. Lady to her new role and congratulate her on joining the Opposition Front Bench team in that role.

We have the 0.7% commitment, of course, which we are proud of, and 74% of that is spent on DFID programming. The majority of that money goes to Africa programmes, but it is important to recognise a couple of points. There is an enormous humanitarian crisis in Africa right now, and we have throughout the year scaled up, and led the way in calling on other donors to put more money into Africa famine relief. We are also working across all Government Departments to ensure that Africa is a development priority.