To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prosperity Fund: Annual Report 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Treasury-delivered projects in tackling (a) persistent poverty, (b) high levels of inequality and (c) potential instability.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prosperity Fund: Annual Report 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of projects delivered by the Department for International Development in tackling (a) persistent poverty, (b) high levels of inequality and (c) potential instability.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prosperity Fund: Annual Report 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of projects delivered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in tackling (a) persistent poverty, (b) high levels of inequality and (c) potential instability.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prosperity Fund: Annual Report 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of projects delivered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in tackling (a) persistent poverty, (b) high levels of inequality and (c) potential instability.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prosperity Fund: Annual Report 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the fund's effectiveness in supporting inclusive growth in middle income countries.

All programmes need to demonstrate how they will address persistent poverty and high levels of inequality as part of the Fund’s primary purpose. Before approval is given to programmes to begin implementation, they are required to go through a rigorous design and assurance process, using the HMT five-case business case model, which requires robust and detailed analysis of the programme’s expected impact. It is too early to assess the full effectiveness of the programmes detailed in the annual report; programmes are currently in their first year of delivery or have received funding for preparatory activity.

The Prosperity Fund has contracted external suppliers to provide robust monitoring and evaluation across the portfolio of programmes. They will provide rigorous evidence and assessment of the Fund’s development objectives. Assessments will also be made as part of regular programme annual reviews. These reviews will be published in line with the Fund’s transparency commitments.