Lord Alton on aid cuts: 'We have broken our word and broken trust'

Lord Alton

Source: Lord Alton

Lord Alton has expressed grave concern over the UK government's drastic cuts to the overseas aid budget, and called for the issue to be debated in Parliament...

Addressing the House of Lords today, 1st July 2021, Lord Alton of Liverpool stated:

"On April 28th I set out my opposition to these cuts and refer to non-financial interests in the Register.

Given the cuts will have a disproportionate impact on fragile and conflict affected States I would like to hear from the Minister what impact assessment was made of the consequences for places such as Syria, Yemen and Tigray prior to cutting the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund by almost half a billion pounds, £492 million. And will the Minister confirm that against these cuts and a 40% increase in humanitarian need -a staggering 80 million people are now displaced, more than ever before?

I would also like to hear how much money has been left in the Crisis Reserve Fund compared with previous years?

Only this morning, reports from Tigray state that patients in Ayder hospital in Mekelle are already dying because there's no electricity or medical supplies. The army looted everything including the UN compounds when they left the city. What resources from the Crisis Reserve Fund are being used to help the 350 million people facing famine? The UN's Mark Lowcock says, "starvation is being used as a weapon of war."

In 1985 Mrs. Thatcher ordered Operation Bushel and told the RAF to drop aid into the most remote areas of Ethiopia. Will we be doing the same?

And returning to the issue of health raised by my noble friend. What has happened to the 770 million medicines donated by pharmaceutical companies that we are told won't now be delivered because of the cuts. How can the Government say it 'is not possible to assess the impact on the number of donated medicines distributed' (HL1041) when others have been able to do so? And what will happen to malaria eradication?

My Lords, this country's word should be its bond. In breaking our word, we have broken trust and probably broken the law. It's a bad decision which needs to be reversed."

See also: ICN 25 November 2020 - Lord Alton on aid budget cut: 'Don't turn the clock back' www.indcatholicnews.com/news/40981