Committee publication · Special Report · 22 April 2026 · HC 1830
9th Special Report - Future of UK aid and development assistance: interim report: Government Response
Summary
This is the Government's formal response to the International Development Committee's interim report on the future of UK aid and development assistance, published in February 2026. The Government defends its approach to spending more ODA through multilateral institutions, rejects calls for a multilateral development review, and partially accepts recommendations on staffing and bilateral spending. It emphasizes commitment to poverty reduction, partnership-led development, and protecting key funding areas including gender equality and ICAI.
Key findings
- Government disagrees with the Committee's recommendation for a multilateral development review, arguing existing scrutiny mechanisms (Programme Operating Framework, Central Assurance Assessments, and external assessments via MOPAN) are sufficient to evaluate multilateral performance.
- Government rejects recommendation to pause FCDO 2030 restructuring pending workforce planning and equalities impact assessment, but commits to developing a Workforce Strategy for the Spending Review period and confirms restructuring is 'not being rushed, but is moving at pace'.
- Government will allocate ICAI funding of £1.68m average per year for three years, agreeing it takes transparency and value for money 'very seriously' and committing to support ICAI for at least the next three years.
- Government partially accepts recommendations on bilateral spending autonomy and staffing expertise, confirming in-country missions will have flexibility to deliver programmes within their context and will have access to Communities of Expertise.
- Government commits to advancing women and girls' rights as strategic priority, with at least 90% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes to have gender equality focus by 2030, and has protected funding for violence against women and girls.
Government position
The Government partially accepts the Committee's recommendations. It rejects the call for a multilateral development review (Recommendation 1), arguing existing scrutiny is adequate. It disagrees with pausing FCDO 2030 restructuring (Recommendation 7) and rejects the request to detail poverty reduction prioritization in restructuring (Recommendation 6), but states poverty reduction 'remains the foundation' of ODA spending. It partially accepts recommendations on staffing (Recommendation 3) and bilateral spending autonomy (Recommendations 4–5), confirming workforce planning and mission flexibility. It agrees fully on ICAI funding continuation (Recommendations 8–9) and partially agrees on gender expertise and resources (Recommendation 10). Overall stance: selective acceptance; Government maintains its structural reform trajectory while defending existing scrutiny mechanisms and reaffirming commitment to poverty reduction and gender equality.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Sarah Champion, Foreign Secretary, Minister for Development, Ajay Banga, Anoushka Sinha, International Development Committee, FCDO, World Bank
Notable line
“… poverty reduction remains the foundation of everything the FCDO does and has set out our priorities to parliament.”
Key Quotes
“The Government intends to return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when fiscal circumstances allow and will continue to monitor forecasts closely.”
“This investment will be targeted strategically to the most effective multilateral organisations in the areas partners consistently say matter most – humanitarian, health, climate & nature and economic development.”
“FCDO does not agree that a multilateral development review is required to sufficiently evaluate the performance of the multilateral organisations that the UK provides funding to.”
“The FCDO is committed to ensuring that it has the development capability and technical expertise needed to deliver this government's ambition on development, even as the ODA budget is reduced.”
“The FCDO is working through a detailed design process to ensure that the future FCDO workforce is sufficiently skilled to deliver Ministerial priorities within the agreed Spending Review settlement.”
“… full funding has remained in place while a decision was made. As stated in the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March, funding to ICAI will remain for the next three years.”
“The FCDO has raised our ambition, committing that at least 90% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes will have a focus on gender equality by”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗