Government must give time to get overseas aid commitment enshrined in law

Overseas aid

Mark Hendricks Bill

19 February 2013

TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady has written today to the International Development Secretary, Justine Greening MP, urging her to provide parliamentary time for the Mark Hendricks Bill legislating for 0.7% of Gross National Income to be spent on overseas aid (the UN target).

Mark Hendricks' Private Members' Bill is due back in the Commons on Friday 1 March, and this may be the last chance to get the legislation progressed in this parliamentary session. The General Secretary's letter is as follows:

Dear Justine

Official Development Assistance - enshrining the commitment in law

As you will be aware, Mark Hendricks MP's Private Member's Bill - the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill - returns to the Commons on Friday 1 March.

His Bill would enshrine the commitment made by all main political parties, and contained within the Coalition Agreement and the DFID Business Plan 2012-2015, to spend the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance.

Such a commitment would protect the ODA budget from cuts in future years; would provide multilateral agencies and developing country governments with the assurance of stable funding; would encourage other countries to meet the UN target themselves; and would demonstrate once and for all the UK's commitment to abide by promises made for decades, but not yet fulfilled.

I would urge your Government to support the Bill in Parliament, and in particular allocate parliamentary time to ensure that it is adopted.

Yours sincerely

FRANCES O'GRADY

General Secretary