1 Introduction
1. The Department for International Development (DFID)
leads the UK Government's contribution to the international effort
to reduce poverty and to meet the internationally-agreed Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).[1]
DFID's Public Service Agreement (PSA) enables DFID, the Treasury,
and others to assess DFID's performance in pursuit of the MDGs.[2]
DFID's Departmental Report 2004 describes and explains what DFID
has achieved in the year April 2003 to March 2004.[3]
This year, in line with a recommendation which we made in each
of the last two years, the Departmental Report is structured around
DFID's PSA, making it easier for the reader to see how DFID is
doing in terms of its own targets.[4]
2. Each year, the International Development Committee
holds a short inquiry into DFID's Departmental Report. This gives
us the opportunity both to assess whether the Departmental Report
paints an informative picture of DFID's work, and to examine particular
aspects of DFID's work in some detail. This report aims to make
DFID more accountable to Parliament and to other stakeholders,
and to encourage DFID to reflect on how it manages and spends
UK aid. The overall purpose of this exercise is to help DFID to
perform more effectively, and to hasten progress towards the MDGs.
3. Following the publication of DFID's Departmental
Report 2004 on 29 April, we invited organisations with relevant
experience and expertise to provide us with written evidence relating
to the Report. Five written submissions were received, from DFID,
from a group of small UK-based international NGOs, and from individual
NGOs (Christian Aid, Marie Stopes International with Interact
Worldwide and One World Action).[5]
Background papers were also received from DFID, Interact Worldwide
and One World Action. On 22 June we took evidence from DFID officials.
In a welcome innovation, intended to increase accountability and
deepen the dialogue[6],
all four members of DFID's Management Board gave evidence: Suma
Chakrabarti, DFID's Permanent Secretary; Masood Ahmed, the Director
General for Policy and International; Mark Lowcock, the Director
General for Corporate Performance and Knowledge Sharing; and Dr
Nicola Brewer CMG, the Director General for Regional Programmes.
In addition to this formal evidence session, we also had two informal
briefing meetings. One concerned the predictability of aid flows.
Another concerned the use of Poverty Reduction Budget Support
(PRBS—also called Direct Budget Support) as a way of delivering
aid. We are very grateful to all those who provided us with information,
formally or informally, to assist us with our inquiry.
4. Our report has six chapters. Following this introduction,
in chapter two we comment on the volume of UK aid. In chapter
three we examine the poverty focus of UK aid. Chapter four explores
some issues relating to Poverty Reduction Budget Support as a
way of delivering UK aid. In chapter five we make some comments
on the monitoring of the impact of UK aid. Finally in chapter
six, we emphasise that if DFID is to become a more effective player
in the fight against global poverty, it must continue to learn
from its successes and failures.
1 For further information about
the Millennium Development Goals see http://www.developmentgoals.com Back
2
For further information about DFID's Public Service Agreement
see http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/psa/index.asp Back
3
Department for International Development, Departmental Report
2004, Cm 6214. Available at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/departreport04chap1.pdf
(subsequent chapters end "chap2.pdf" etc.) Back
4
International Development Committee, Sixth report of Session 2001-02,
Department for International Development Departmental Report
2002, HC 964, paragraph 18-available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmintdev/964/964.pdf;
International Development Committee, Eighth report of Session
2002-03, Department for International Development Departmental
Report 2003, HC 825, paragraph 10-available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmintdev/825/825.pdf Back
5
Ev 68-72 Back
6
Q 1 [Mr. Suma Chakrabarti, Permanent Secretary, DFID] Back
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