Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure UK participation with regional partners on the Abraham Accords.

The United Kingdom warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab partners. The Abraham Accords are a historic milestone that bring us closer to the goal of shared prosperity and peace throughout the region. The UK is working with regional partners to ensure the Abraham Accords are an enduring success, and we continue to encourage other countries who have not yet normalised their relations with Israel to do so. We continue to support efforts to ensure normalisation also delivers benefits for the Palestinians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the safe and voluntary return to Syria of Syrian refugees.

As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March, Syria faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis, with the UN reporting 16.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. We agree with the UN's assessment that the conditions in Syria are not currently suitable for large-scale refugee returns. With the international community, we are providing vital humanitarian and development support to Syrians in Syria and those displaced across the region. The UK has provided over £4.3 billion in aid to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to undertake further consultation with stakeholders following the completion of Baroness Shafik’s Independent Development Review.

As my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Oxford East wrote in response to question 28558, the Foreign Secretary is considering his response to the three reviews he commissioned into the UK's Global Impact, Development and Economic Diplomacy. The Foreign Secretary and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers will continue to meet key stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including international development, in the course of their duties, and as part of a commitment to harnessing a wide range of perspectives and integrating them into the FCDO's policy and strategy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure timely aid delivery to vulnerable populations; and what steps he is taking with international partners to remove barriers to that delivery.

The Foreign Secretary has been clear that the UK is committed to protecting the most at risk in situations of conflict and crisis, including civilians, refugees, internally displaced people, women and girls, and people with disabilities.We work closely with international partners to remove barriers to delivery, both through diplomatic initiatives and in the way that we select delivery partners and approaches. This includes using our seat at the UN Security Council to promote access to aid and the protection of aid workers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on delivering on the Action Plan in the Atlantic Declaration (2023) since July 2024.

The Atlantic Declaration was agreed with the Biden Administration under the previous UK government. Since entering office last year, we have taken a case-by-case approach to its initiatives in support of this government's missions. This included a meeting of the UK-US Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy Cooperation in August 2024 and the second Strategic Technologies Investment Council in November 2024. As the Prime Minister said, we are committed to pursuing an economic deal with the new US administration with advanced technology at its core.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the autonomy of the UK and US operations on Diego Garcia.

We will retain full control over Diego Garcia with robust provisions to keep adversaries out. These include unrestricted access to and use of the base for the UK and US, including control over the electromagnetic spectrum; a buffer zone around Diego Garcia; a comprehensive mechanism to ensure no activity in the other islands threatens base operations; and a ban on the presence of any foreign security forces. The details will be set out when the treaty is laid before Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Nigerian government on bilateral cooperation to improve food security.

The UK has raised food security with Federal and State Government representatives in Nigeria. This includes discussions on supporting food availability, access, utilisation and stability, including through relevant Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programming. Officials have discussed efforts to address food insecurity in recent meetings with Nigeria's Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit, Nigeria's new Federal Ministry of Livestock and Development, and Kaduna State Government. Officials and other development partners have stressed to the Nigerian Government the importance of implementing the World Bank funded Social Safety Nets programme as a matter of urgency to help address food insecurity.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle increasing malnutrition rates around the world through its international development programs.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office is taking steps to prevent, detect, and tackle malnutrition through our Child Wasting Innovation Programme (CWIP), the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and through our approach to integrating nutrition objectives alongside other policy objectives on sectors such as health, food and agriculture, humanitarian, and climate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government’s Africa Strategy includes specific commitments to addressing food security and malnutrition in Nigeria.

The Foreign Secretary launched a five-month consultation to inform the UK's new approach to the African continent during his visit to Nigeria and South Africa in November 2024. This follows the manifesto commitment to develop a fundamentally transformed partnership that engages with African countries as equals, promotes our economic growth ambitions and supports migration priorities. While consultations are ongoing, a broad range of policy options are being considered.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK’s £25 million commitment to the Pandemic Fund, how much of this funding (a) had been spent, (b) had been committed and (c) remained unallocated as of 30 December 2024.

The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. £10 million has been transferred to the Pandemic Fund. The remaining £15 million will be transferred in 2025/26.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27541 on Neglected Tropical Diseases, how much financial support his Department is providing for UK research into neglected tropical diseases.

During the last funding phase between 2017 and 2024, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has invested £73.3 million into the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), which collaborates closely with a range of UK academic and industry partners to develop medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Following our last call for applications for funding Product Development Partnerships, DNDi applied successfully and has received an investment of £10 million in this financial year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria were used to determine the regional and country-level allocations of Official Development Assistance for 2024-25.

The FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for 2024/25 were published on 6 February 2025. We will publish final ODA programme spend for 2024/25 in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. Equality impact assessments are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the social and economic impact of the British Council’s work on the UK’s soft power and international relations.

The British Council plays a leading role in promoting UK values and interests through its work in arts and culture, education, and promotion of the English language.The British Council's 2023 Global Perceptions report survey demonstrates that cultural relations initiatives are connected to higher levels of trust in the UK Government. The average score for trust in the UK Government given by young people surveyed in the G20 countries was 54%. However, for those who had participated in a UK cultural initiative, the score was 62%, and where this initiative was delivered by the British Council, it was 69%.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which countries have had reductions in Official Development Assistance in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24; and what the total reduction is in each case.

The FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for 2024/25 were published on 6 February 2025. We will publish final ODA programme spend for 2024/25 in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. Equality impact assessments are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a longer-term funding model for the British Council.

The British Council's Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the British Council's financial sustainability.The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will publish a list of (a) programmes and (b) countries that have had their budgets adjusted since July 2024 including the reasons for each adjustment.

The former Minister for Development set out the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for 2024/25 in a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS421) on 6 February 2025.We will publish the FCDO's final ODA programme outturn for 2024/25 in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025.We will set out our spending plans for future years following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the Government's humanitarian aid response in conflict-affected regions receiving Official Development Assistance.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to independently evaluating the relevance, effectiveness, impact, value for money and sustainability of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA programmes as required in the International Development Act (2015). The FCDO's Programme Operating Framework sets out the mandatory rules for FCDO programme delivery. This requires regular monitoring to provide performance and financial oversight and evaluate performance and impact. The Framework is published on GOV.UK and programme Annual and Closure Reviews are published on DevTracker.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of changes to Official Development Assistance allocations in 2024-25.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is he taking to engage philanthropic organisations in (a) global nutrition and (b) food security investments.

The UK Government works closely with philanthropic organisations on food security investments and to deliver global nutrition outcomes.On global nutrition, we partner with the Gates Foundation and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, via the Child Nutrition Fund. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office co-chairs the Action Review Panel on Child Wasting which includes philanthropic organisations, to take action on acute malnutrition.On food security investments, the UK co-funds agricultural research with the Gates Foundation. Over the last 15 years this collaboration, drawing on UK science and expertise, has led to significant impacts including climate resilient nutritious crops and livestock vaccines for smallholder farmers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Council for supporting his Department’s objectives for UK soft power.

The British Council's Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the British Council's financial sustainability.The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.