Several times I've mentioned the largesse of the Department of International Development and it appears the new government is hell-bent on continuing Labour's generosity.
Only this week the coalition government cut £2 billion's worth of domestic projects and increased the foreign aid budget to £13 billion a year.
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, told MPs this week that the domestic cuts were necessary to tackle the budget deficit and would be done in a fair way. In the same speech he accused the previous Labour regime of spending money which it knew it didn't have.
The same day Andrew Mitchell, foreign aid minister, issued a statement on the DFID website which said that the 'Government has made clear that the international development budget will increase to 0.7% of Gross National Income from 2013.
According to the World Bank on 16 June, 2010, Britain GNI was $2 trillion or £1,504,942,701,833 in our money. The aim of 0.7% of the GNI figure is just over £10.5 billion but this doesn't include the administration costs of the DFID which, in the past, have usually added a further £2 billion to the department's budget.
To summarise, the Westminster government has committed itself to spending around £13 billion in foreign aid. Currently Britain pays around £1 - £3bn per week (depending on various opinions/sources) in interest on the deficit - money which is borrowed to pay for foreign aid, the war in Afghanistan, EU membership and other projects, yet we don't have enough money to look after our elderly.
What a strange world.
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16 comments:
Oh, SR - don't start me on the elderly, pse and what little is done for them!
These bastards seem to forget that one day they will be elderly and my one wish is that they experience what they thought was 'acceptable' levels of care!
Wastemonster "Keeping up Appearances" to the outside world and all that.
WVeri: 'subsotr'
"......£10.5 billion but this doesn't include the administration costs of the DFID which, in the past, have usually added a further £2 billion to the department's budget."
How can any organisation (?) justify spending £2 billion giving away £10.5 billion???
Common sense dictates that charity begins at home. Mandarins and Politicos have little sense, common or otherwise ergo the 12.5 billions wasted. Well it keeps Gulfstream afloat.
I never seem to inccur any costs when giving away money...just a net loss, and I would not give 'any away if I had to pay interest on it to do it!, full stop.
Whenever this comes up I'm reminded that we give India £1,000,000,000 a year.
India is planning a Moon mission.
India is building nuclear missile submarines.
We're broke and we're borrowing money to effectively help the Indians do stuff like this ?? WTF??
On the plus side though - they chucked out Banana Boy Millipede for insulting behaviour towards Manmohan Singh and wouldn't let Mandelson off his aeroplane when he turned up to give them a stern finger wag.
I know I use the elderly for comparisons WFW, but don't forget, these folk will have a very handsome pension out of which they'll be able to buy the best care. Who pays most of the pension? You've got it.
And a seat on the UN CH.
Just about every article you read on this subject asks that same question.
Must be the cost of constantly travelling round the world first class Joe. After all, they can't give money away without popping over to see which corrupt bunch of offficials got it this time.
I'm surprise DC insists he'll continue with this OR. It's something which could well be cut.
Ah Indyan, therein lies the difference though. You're not in the DFID. They seem to have an open-ended budget.
That's part of it Gordon. A disgrace really and no one has the courage to halt it.
I did chuckle at the two 'incidents' you mention. :)
Don't forget we're in a bidding war with China. There's a lot at stake here. We are trying to buy a little influence, and with that comes trade. Aid is a kind of backhander. It more than pays for itself.
Whilst I agree with you Jim, I'm suspicious about the reasons for quite a bit of the funding. Trying to find information on projects is nigh on impossible.
Rosie,
I sympathise with your suspicion. But we are in a global economy. Thing is, we always have been. The Romans were in one too.
wv: chess.
Now, I'm not a wv hound but that one is good, you gotta admit.
It certainly is a good one Jim. Most fitting.
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