Speeches by Law.

“Can I follow up briefly? We have discussed declining soft power, particularly in terms of the UK’s bilateral commitments, but what you have just mentioned is also the ability of the FCDO primarily—correct me if I am wrong—to influence the discourse in how business is done at the World Bank and elsewhere. Can the UK, de…”

“Can I press on that briefly? To some extent, it is important. How do we recognise where we have skin in the game—leverage, soft power, whatever you want to call it? What I am getting is that we can be dramatically more effective in our responses where we recognise where we have that, rather than just taking a “let’s ap…”

“Understood, thank you.”

“I want to come back in before we move on from the economics of displacement, which we have discussed in some detail. Louis, you mentioned the $21 billion figure. I am sorry, I am going to fixate on that a little bit.”

“Yes, on the risk of displacement.”

“You have answered my question in part, but perhaps we can just dig a bit deeper. Clearly, you have a very good understanding of the risk of displacement. I wonder how much that informs the patterns of the work that you choose to undertake and how much data you, as organisations, can collect. I appreciate that it may be…”

“If that is truly the cost and it is spread across 70 million people, that is $300 a head or thereabouts. As much as we have said that addressing root causes is not necessarily good value for money, clearly addressing this issue, writ large, is extremely good value for money because the opportunity cost you have mention…”

“With the reforms putting an increased focus on fragility, conflict and violence, how can the Government work alongside the World Bank better to ensure that we improve the help that the World Bank can provide to support displaced people?”

“You have answered my question in part, but perhaps we can just dig a bit deeper. Clearly, you have a very good understanding of the risk of displacement. I wonder how much that informs the patterns of the work that you choose to undertake and how much data you, as organisations, can collect. I appreciate that it may be…”

“Yes, on the risk of displacement.”

“With the reforms putting an increased focus on fragility, conflict and violence, how can the Government work alongside the World Bank better to ensure that we improve the help that the World Bank can provide to support displaced people?”

“Jessica, you have been critical of the Government’s approach to tackling the root causes of displacement. How would you encourage them to better focus their efforts?”

“Why is that? Is it because the determinants of displacement are so multifaceted, or is it simply because, in the end, people’s reasons for being displaced are idiosyncratic? Which of the two is it?”

“Thank you, those are very interesting and perhaps fresh perspectives on an issue that has been talked about a lot but perhaps with a lack of focus. You have also said that funding shortages have led to a back-to-basics approach, and that that has come at the detriment of resilience and stabilisation funding. Where do y…”

“Just a quick clarification, Louis. You mentioned this figure of $21 billion globally, which first struck me as perhaps a little bit low. Is that the total cost of hosting internally displaced people? If so, is that like for like with the figures that we have seem for inbound refugee costs in the UK of £3 billion to £5 …”

“The British public increasingly feel that development aid has sadly lost its clarity of purpose. While I accept that there are multiple objectives behind aid, and that of course lifting the world’s poorest out of poverty has long been at the heart of the FCDO’s mission, a reset in the social contract around development…”

“6. What assessment he has made of the value for money of official development assistance spending on in-donor refugee costs.”

“Does my hon. and gallant Friend accept that there is increased accountability in the Water (Special Measures) Act through the fact that many companies in the industry are now rewriting their articles of association to ensure that they are accountable not just to shareholders, but to the customers and users of water?”

“My hon. and gallant Friend makes an impassioned case for public ownership—something that, in the right context, I am sure Members on all sides of the House can celebrate. On the point about the cost of financing to the public, though, does he agree that while there are some serious indiscretions in parts of the industr…”

“On this point about national interest, how does that sit against what a lot of people are calling for, which is a localisation agenda or a partnership approach? That has been increasingly prized in the sector.”