Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4395):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review existing UK Aid Direct projects, to restructure the way the oversight of such projects, and to counter corruption and misuse of the aid in their implementation. (HL4395)
Tabled on: 27 January 2025
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
UK Aid Direct closed in October 2023. The programme was assessed against final output targets and achieved an A+ rating overall as results met or exceeded expectations. The programme supported 162 civil society organisations to deliver 196 projects for sustained poverty reduction, reaching 9.74 million people across 37 countries. The FCDO has a rigorous and comprehensive due diligence process to determine the capacity and capability of organisations to manage funds and deliver project objectives, including assurances that taxpayers’ money will be protected. All UK Aid Direct grant holder funding was published on International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).
Date and time of answer: 06 Feb 2025 at 17:38.
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Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4580):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Nigerian government regarding (1) violence committed by armed non-state actors and (2) bringing the perpetrators to justice, particularly in Kaduna and other central states of Nigeria. (HL4580)
Tabled on: 30 January 2025
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
UK Government officials and I regularly raise the impact of insecurity on communities across central and northern Nigeria, underlying the need to bring perpetrators to justice, with the Nigerian Government. Most recently, I raised the importance of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions when I met with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in Nigeria in January. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we also engage with Nigerian security actors to address complex issues including the timely, effective and human rights-compliant investigation of, and prosecutions for, terrorism crimes.
Date and time of answer: 06 Feb 2025 at 17:35.
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Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4582):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what level of humanitarian aid has been allocated to Nigeria for 2025, and what measures are in place to ensure that it reaches vulnerable communities in locations such as Benue, Kaduna and Plateau states. (HL4582)
Tabled on: 30 January 2025
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
In the Financial Year 2024/25, UK humanitarian support to Nigeria totalled £33.5 million in life-saving assistance. We have reached approximately one million people with our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), reducing mortality and increasing resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs in Nigeria. At present, this humanitarian aid is not targeted at Benue, Kaduna or Plateau states.
Date and time of answer: 06 Feb 2025 at 17:31.
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Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4583):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government how they are assisting Nigeria to address systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression such as the marginalisation of minority faith communities and the criminalisation of blasphemy. (HL4583)
Tabled on: 30 January 2025
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address security challenges including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK is providing £38 million in programming to support locally led solutions in Northern Nigeria tackle the root causes of this violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we also engage with Nigerian security actors to address these complex issues. The UK Government also funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise to make legislative changes to protect FoRB, including addressing blasphemy laws. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential to a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, will remain an important part of the UK’s partnership with Nigeria.
Date and time of answer: 06 Feb 2025 at 17:25.
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