Government ignores aid watchdog recommendations on refugee spending – Bond reacts to latest ICAI review
Today, Thursday 16 May, The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has released its annual follow-up review on the government’s responses to the recommendations of its nine reviews published between October 2022 and June 2023.
The government was found to be adequately addressing 57% of ICAI’s recommendations. However, with regard to UK aid spending to support asylum seekers and refugees domestically, of which the Home Office spends the majority, the responses to all recommendations were found to be inadequate.
In reaction to the review, Gideon Rabinowitz, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said:
With UK aid spent on asylum seekers and refugees continuing to balloon in 2023, reaching £4.3 billion, it is deeply disappointing that the government has responded inadequately to ICAI’s recommendations on better controlling this spending.
The failure of the Home Office to take these concerns seriously is undermining the ability of UK aid to provide life-saving humanitarian and development needs across the world. The government needs to urgently control this spending and end the raiding of UK aid for domestic needs.
ENDS.
Notes for editors
- Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 350 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
- The Independent Commission for Aid Impact works to improve the quality of UK development assistance through robust, independent scrutiny.
- For further information or interviews please contact Jess Salter at [email protected] or call 07493200979.
