§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what responsibilities which her Department had prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review are to be(a) discontinued by her Department, (b) transferred to another department, (c) transferred to an executive agency and (d) added to her Department over the period 1998–99 to 2001–02. [68408]
§ Clare ShortThe Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) looked rigorously at all of the Department's programmes to ensure they met the new Government's objectives. Changes were made to ensure that our resources are focused more explicitly on the overarching goal of eliminating poverty. Specifically:
- (a) programmes and projects which did not meet our objectives were ended. For example, the Aid and Trade Provision.
- (b) We concluded that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) should take full responsibility for the grant in aid to the British Council, previously shared between the Department for International Development (DFID) and FCO. This responsibility and expenditure provision has been transferred.
- (c) Nil.
- (d) The CSR endorsed the enhanced role for (DFID) set out the Government's White Paper on International Development. This includes promoting consistency in UK and international policies which affect poorer countries. In addition, the Department now gives greater emphasis to working with the international community towards agreed goals and to efforts to improve the effectiveness of the international system.