Overseas Aid

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 29 April 2021.

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Photo of Justin Madders Justin Madders Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the reduction of the Official Development Assistance Budget for 2021-22 on employment opportunities in the UK research and Science sector.

Photo of James Duddridge James Duddridge Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. Despite this, the UK remains a development superpower, with an ODA budget on track to exceed £10 billion this year. FCDO ODA will be targeted to addressing seven global challenges facing the world poorest which includes research, science and technology.

FCDO will now work through what this means for individual programmes, in line with the priorities we have identified. It is too soon to estimate the net effect on the UK research and science sector. UK universities, research institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs are and will continue to be key science and technology partners for FCDO. The full science settlement (ODA and non-ODA) means that overall public funds for UK scientists and innovators in 2021/22 are expected to increase compared to 2020/21.

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