Committees

‘Returning certainty’ to ODA spending is a priority – Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell MP

1 November 2022

Ending the pause on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s spending on Official Development Assistance ‘as soon as possible’ and ‘returning certainty’ to ODA spending ‘this year and in future years’ is a priority for the new Minister of Development, Andrew Mitchell MP.

The news came in correspondence from the newly appointed Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell MP, with the Chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah Champion MP.

The Minister wrote to notify the Chair that the FCDO’s temporary pause on non-essential ODA spending will be extended to November 17, to work with HM Treasury’s revised timetable for the Autumn Statement. He adds that it was ‘inevitable’ ahead of the Chancellor’s update. The letter is attached for your information.

The Committee meets today to consider the pressing problem of debt relief in low-income countries. A recent United Nations Development Programme reported that more than half of people living in extreme poverty across the world live in low and middle-income countries, although they represent little more than three percent of the global economy and 18% of the world’s population. In the final session of the Committee’s inquiry into debt relief in low-income countries, MPs will question representatives from HM Treasury and FCDO.

Further information

Image: Crown Copyright