What will FCDO cuts mean for future of UK’s development work? MPs begin inquiry on future of aid
On Tuesday, MPs will consider the impact of budget and staffing cuts on the UK’s ability to deliver life-saving aid and development programmes as they begin a new inquiry into the future of UK aid.
The evidence session will partly focus on news that nearly 2,000 civil servants at the second most senior level at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are at risk of redundancy, according to the civil service union PCS. FCDO Permanent Secretary Sir Olly Robbins said earlier this year that the department planned to reduce its workforce by up to 25%.
Through its inquiry, the Committee is examining how the UK can continue to deliver international development assistance amid major cuts to the aid budget. The Government plans to cut the UK’s aid budget by 40% to fund increased defence spending, while Development Minister Baroness Chapman has said that global challenges demand ministers reset the UK’s approach.
In the session’s first panel, MPs will ask PCS officials for their assessment of how deep the staffing cuts at the FCDO will be, how long they will take, and what implications they could have on the department’s ability to fulfil its development work.
Meeting details
In the second panel, MPs will ask development experts from the Overseas Development Institute, Bond and the University of Cambridge what impacts the staffing cuts could have on the lives of those who benefit from UK Official Development Assistance (ODA).
They will also ask witnesses for their views on the likely shape of UK aid in the future, such as the role played by international NGOs, how the Government should communicate the results of UK aid, and how the Government should practically deliver its aid programming.