Sarah Champion MP calls for more and better aid data

• Watch the evidence session with the Secretary of State
• Inquiry: Future of UK aid
• International Development Committee

The Chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah Champion MP said:

“It was a fascinating evidence session with the Foreign Secretary, but the committee learnt that there is still a huge amount of work to do.

“There has been a two year vacuum without a clear development strategy since this government was elected. The department has been merged and the budget cut.

“On Monday we were presented with a ten year strategy called the ‘International Development Strategy’, but it was very short on specifics. Today the Foreign Secretary informed the committee that there is a three-year, as yet unpublished, provisional budget starting from the current financial year.

“The committee has asked the Foreign Secretary for much more detail about what is in the three year budget plan so we can seriously pursue our work of scrutinizing UK spending on development aid. We need much more – and much clearer – information to do our job.”

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: Crown copyright