Save the Children: Response to the International Development Committee’s report on UK Aid
Responding to the International Development Committee’s report on UK Aid, released today, Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns for Save the Children, said:
“The International Development Committee is right. The Department for International Development (DFID) must play a bigger role in ensuring that the UK Aid spent by all departments is coherent, transparent and focussed on eradicating poverty.
“DFID is a world-leader in delivering high-quality aid that helps to transform the lives of the poorest people on earth. But as spending by other departments has increased, the proportion spent in the poorest countries, where it’s needed most, and on vital services such as healthcare, has declined. DFID should be able to help other departments meet the high standards it sets.
“We welcome the Committee’s call for the Government to freeze the share of aid spent through cross-government funds until they are more transparent and better focussed on poverty. There cannot be two classes of UK Aid. The aid rules set out in the 2002 International Development Act should be applied to every department, to ensure that every penny spent on UK Aid achieves the maximum impact for the world’s poorest people.”
