International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Bill

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. First, I should like to pay tribute to my right honourable friend, Tom Clarke, who piloted the Bill with a winning combination of determination and idealism through the other place, in a manner which showed why he is held in such great respect on all sides. I also welcome support for the Bill from the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Southwark, who regrets that he cannot attend the debate at this later hour, and likewise from the noble Baroness, Lady Chalker of Wallasey. She has asked me to say why she supports the Bill, which I shall turn to later. I very much look forward to the maiden speeches of my noble friend Lady Quin and the noble Lord, Lord Cotter. Before very briefly outlining the Bill, I want to say that it comes to us in a much more worked-over form than some. Not only have many of the most prominent NGOs taken part in its drafting; it is the product of support, indeed enthusiasm, from all parties. It has already received a lot of attention to detail and coverage. Your Lordships will wish to be aware of the conscientiousness of the participants in the Committee stage in the other place, and of the flexibility of Ministers. There is a reason beyond enthusiasm for the subject in this. It is that a Private Member’s Bill can become an Act only if its life here as a Bill is short, neat and tidy. If it is not regarded as complete after coming to your Lordships’ House, it will fall to the axe of the timetables for government legislation. I am reassured by all parties in your Lordships’ House that this fledgling Bill will be able to fly as it did from the other place. But we shall need to keep the process short. The Bill’s purpose is simple. It is to see that the promises of this Government made at Gleneagles, one year ago next week, and any made by future Governments, are kept. Its essence is simple: accountability. Accountability in delivering effectively the aid which thousands upon thousands of people marched for to Make Poverty History. Accountability to that public, through Parliament. Thus, the first provision of the Bill is for an annual report by the Secretary of State to Parliament. The report must include the year’s progress towards the goal of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance, and this is even explicit in the Long Title of the Bill. It must include general progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 1 to 7 through UK assistance and the multilateral aid to which the UK contributes; the specific effectiveness of UK bilateral aid in no fewer than 20 countries—a number reached after successful challenge by NGOs and by honourable friends of Members opposite—with an undertaking that for the duration of this Parliament the number will be taken to cover the 25 countries in DfID’s public service agreement; and, finally, progress in promoting untied aid. As well as qualitative assessments, the report must also provide the statistical data set out in the schedule—actual sums of aid in various categories, sums of debt relieved, the total percentage of gross national income spent on official development assistance, and the percentage given to low-income countries. Bilateral aid is to be broken down by region, country and sector. Humanitarian assistance must also be detailed—another point successfully made in Committee in the other place. Bilateral official development assistance must be broken down by country, and the imputed UK share of multilateral official development assistance by country must also be given. And it is not only DfID’s own activity which the Secretary of State must report on. He or she must also include a section on the effects of the policies and programmes of other government departments on the promotion of sustainable development and the reduction of poverty in developing countries, especially as this relates to MDG 8. This must specifically include an account of progress towards an open trading system which,"““expands trading opportunities for low income countries””," the development of an open, rule-based, non-discriminatory financial system and the enhancement of debt relief for low-income countries. Very importantly, this section must also cover what other departments do to promote transparency in both the provision of aid and the use made of aid, as well as measures to manage and monitor the use of aid, preventing corruption and ensuring that targets are clear. So, for recipients the Bill will give the power to see in advance what aid flows come from the UK so they can plan ahead. And it will set an example of good governance in our own disbursement of aid, which will also enable parliamentarians in receiving countries to hold their own governments to account. They will know how much has been received and for what purpose, just as here the Bill will sharpen the responsibility of Members of both Houses to chase progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The noble Baroness, Lady Chalker, has asked me to give her three main reasons for her ““enthusiastic support for the Bill””. She says:"““First, there is insufficient informed knowledge in our Parliament, let alone among our nation as a whole, about the reality of the world in which we live, and where often by dedicated but limited co-operation with the Government or NGO’s in a developing country the United Kingdom can make a huge improvement for the people of that country. Second, there is a need for precise information to assist the debate. Third, it is important that the co-ordination of assistance overseas is clarified by spelling out the amounts and type of aid provided through the many multilateral organisations. The Bill provides well for this to be done””." I am extremely grateful to her. All this represents a statutory codification which goes beyond current practice and which gives Parliament a much stronger role in ensuring that the considerable sums the UK taxpayer gives really make a difference. I commend the Bill to the House. Moved, That the Bill be now read a second time.—(Baroness Whitaker.)