Flawed Humanitarian Aid Design
Risks to beneficiaries and UK reputation arising from badly designed and delivered development and humanitarian assistance.
369 items
7 sources
2 inquiries
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Flawed Humanitarian Aid Design has been flagged across 7 independent accountability sources:
2 inquiry recs
348 committee recs
2 NAO recs
1 IMB report
2 IMB recs
6 PHSO decisions
8 LGO/SPSO decisions
When the same issue appears across inquiries, coroner reports, and regulators independently, it indicates a recurring issue across the public record.
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry Recommendations (2)
P2-45 — Add humanitarian considerations as ninth response principle
Recommendation: That regard for humanitarian considerations be expressly recognised by making it the ninth principle of effective response and recovery. (113.69)
Gov response: The government accepts this recommendation. We will fully factor it into the outcomes of the resilience review.
Accepted
In progress
27 — Action plan to address staff desensitisation and secondary trauma
Recommendation: Contractors operating immigration removal centres must develop and implement an action plan to ensure a safe and healthy staff culture in immigration removal centres. The action plan must address: the identification of and response to any sign of desensitisation among …
Gov response: The government described the introduction of a code of conduct and a mandatory staff engagement strategy. The ITC review addresses staff wellbeing and secondary trauma awareness.
Accepted in Part
Committee Recommendations (348) — showing 50 strongest matches
#10 —
Recommendation: The failure to plan for the Special Cases evacuations, or to put in place a fair and robust prioritisation system, left the process open to arbitrary political interventions. This is illustrated by the case of the Nowzad animal charity. Amid …
Gov response: The Government does not agree that it failed to plan for a possible evacuation, or that the FCDO failed to plan for the possible closure of the British Embassy in Kabul. Those issues are covered …
Not Accepted
#8 —
Recommendation: However, on the strategic and humanitarian level the evacuation fell disastrously short. Shortcomings in ARAP, the scheme to evacuate Afghans who had worked directly for the UK Government, left many waiting for a response until it was too late. A …
Gov response: The Government is grateful to the Foreign Affairs Committee for its report on the UK’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Government agrees that there are fundamental lessons to learn, and to act on, from this …
Under Consideration
#3 —
Recommendation: Most damning for the FCDO is the total absence of a plan—developed in conjunction with the Home Office—for evacuating Afghans who supported the UK mission, without being directly employed by the UK Government. The Government was never going to be …
Gov response: The Government recognises the strength of the Committee’s view that the UK had a responsibility to Afghan nationals beyond those who had worked for HMG directly, and notes the parallel recommendation from the International Development …
Under Consideration
#51 — Prioritise security risk management fund grants to catalyse pooling of activities.
Recommendation: The security risk management fund we recommend should prioritise grants that catalyse the pooling of activities–ensuring the best value for money and maximum reach. For example, this could include funding for pooled Hazardous Environment Awareness Training, in-country NGO forums, shared …
Gov response: Partially Agree. We agree that collaborative approaches to risk management and shared security services can enhance cost efficiency and effectiveness. In our view, support for important common services and collaborative approaches does not require the …
Not Accepted
#50 — FCDO's contract approach obstructs cost-effective pooling of security risk management services.
Recommendation: The relief and development sector continues to strive for value for money– maximising the essential aid to those who need it whilst keeping its staff safe. We have witnessed the strong collegiate working between security risk management professionals across the …
Gov response: Partially Agree. We agree that collaborative approaches to risk management and shared security services can enhance cost efficiency and effectiveness. In our view, support for important common services and collaborative approaches does not require the …
Accepted
#48 — Establish direct FCDO contact with local delivery organisations on security during contract phases.
Recommendation: FCDO officials managing contracts where a significant amount of aid will be delivered by local organisations should aim for direct contact with the relevant local delivery organisation during the proposal agreement stage, regardless of who the contract is with. These …
Gov response: Agree. We agree that FCDO officials managing agreements where a significant amount of aid will be delivered by local organisations should aim for direct contact with the relevant local delivery organisation during the proposal agreement …
Accepted
#47 — Inadequate funding arrangements hinder local organisations' security requirements in humanitarian aid delivery.
Recommendation: Approaches to negotiating contracts and funding arrangements, where local organisations will be delivering humanitarian aid, are not always fit for purpose. There are inadequate mechanisms to ensure that the security requirements of local organisations are fed through intermediaries to the …
Gov response: Agree. We agree that FCDO officials managing agreements where a significant amount of aid will be delivered by local organisations should aim for direct contact with the relevant local delivery organisation during the proposal agreement …
Accepted
#46 — Ensure programme-specific security risk management costs are distinct budget lines, not administration.
Recommendation: Where programme-specific security risk management costs are still built into programme budgets, these should be a distinct budget line rather than being part of administration costs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 88)
Gov response: Agree. We agree. We will explore the possibility of including a dedicated budget line for programme-specific security risk management costs into FCDO’s standard templates for ODA-funded humanitarian programmes, as well as issuing guidance to staff …
Accepted
#45 — Establish a dedicated, flexible fund for security risk management, separate from programme costs.
Recommendation: We recommend security risk management costs are decoupled from other programme costs. There should be a designated security risk management fund that organisations delivering UK Official Development Assistance can apply to in order to support their broader security requirements. These …
Gov response: Partially Agree. The FCDO is committed to the safety and security of aid workers. We make clear to all our partners that we expect them to make adequate budgetary provision to support aid worker safety …
Not Accepted
#44 — Avoid prejudicing humanitarian aid proposals with higher security costs; question lower cost proposals.
Recommendation: We recognise the impact that reducing Official Development Assistance from 0.5%-0.3% of gross national income will have on availability of funding for humanitarian relief. However, any defunding of costs associated with the security of aid workers would be a false …
Gov response: Partially Agree. The FCDO is committed to the safety and security of aid workers. We make clear to all our partners that we expect them to make adequate budgetary provision to support aid worker safety …
Accepted
#43 — Donors and employers bear moral responsibility for mitigating risks to aid workers.
Recommendation: Whilst it is always the perpetrator who is responsible for the harm caused to victims, there is more that donors and employers could do to mitigate the risks. Indeed, it is the moral responsibility of donors to do all they …
Gov response: We take our responsibilities as a humanitarian donor seriously and we recognise the importance of evolving our own risk management approaches to keep pace with evolving threats. We plan to review existing programme guidelines and …
Accepted
#40 — Underfunding of security risk management jeopardises aid worker mental health and welfare.
Recommendation: Constrained budgets and competition for funding may incentivise the over- promising of delivery by international NGOs at the risk of underfunding security risk management. This runs the risk of subjecting aid workers to unnecessary pressures, and of their welfare being …
Gov response: Agree. FCDO takes seriously issues of health and safety, including mental health and safeguarding, for our partners. FCDO internal guidance on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) advises that funding to meet mental health needs …
Accepted
#37 — Overly-politicised humanitarian responses risk safe delivery of UK-funded aid.
Recommendation: While it is important that the UK’s aid, trade, defence and diplomacy objectives are coherent, there is a risk that overly-politicised humanitarian responses can make the safe delivery of UK-funded support difficult. (Conclusion, Paragraph 73)
Gov response: We agree that humanitarian aid must be facilitated in an impartial, neutral and independent way without political or physical impediments. The protection of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, must be central to UK diplomatic action …
Not Addressed
#35 — Malicious disinformation hampers aid worker safety and humanitarian aid delivery.
Recommendation: The safety of aid workers and aid delivery is further hampered by the spread of malicious disinformation online and in other forms of media. (Conclusion, Paragraph 71)
Gov response: Agree We agree that malicious disinformation poses a serious threat to perceptions of the neutrality of aid workers and relief operations, damaging community acceptance, restricting humanitarian access, and increasing risks for aid workers. The World …
Not Addressed
#19 — Call for UNSC Special Session on IHL disregard, humanitarian access, and aid worker safety.
Recommendation: We recommend that the UK works with the other UN Member States represented on the ministerial group for the safety of humanitarian aid workers to call for a Special Session of the UNSC to discuss the problem of disregard of …
Gov response: Partially agree 55. The UK already actively engages with other UN Member States, including within the ministerial group for the safety of humanitarian aid workers. The UK is a co-sponsor of UNSCR 2730, an important …
Partially Accepted
#12 — UK has important role in supporting mechanisms for accountability of IHL breaches.
Recommendation: During an evidence session, the Minister was unclear about the extent of the application of approved approaches when it came to creative responses to the situation in Gaza. There are various mechanisms available at the international, regional and domestic levels …
Gov response: We are clear, robust and consistent, including through our work in New York and Geneva and our work at multilateral institutions, in our support for IHL and the need to uphold IHL in Gaza. The …
Accepted
#11 — Provide clearer guidance and consider standing exemptions for humanitarian organisations regarding sanctions.
Recommendation: We encourage the Government to consider a standing exemption for relevant humanitarian organisations to ensure that they do not risk liability for their legitimate dealings with sanctioned entities. In the meantime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) must provide …
Gov response: Agree. We are committed to introducing a tailored humanitarian exemption or ‘carve-out’ across the UK’s autonomous sanctions when parliamentary time allows. This follows on from UN Security Council Resolution 2664—a landmark step that introduced a …
Partially Accepted
#10 — Unclear UK anti-terrorism legislation risks limiting safe delivery of aid.
Recommendation: We applaud the work of the current and previous Governments in ensuring that the safe delivery of aid is not jeopardised by most of the UK’s own legislation. However, lack of clarity around the UK’s anti-terrorism legislation has had a …
Gov response: The UK seeks to mitigate any unintended negative impacts of sanctions and counter terrorism legislation, including on humanitarian aid delivery. We work with our aid partners to understand the impact of sanctions. For example, the …
Accepted
#9 — UK well-positioned to amplify local voices in humanitarian aid access and localisation.
Recommendation: The UK is well placed to ensure the voice of local organisations is heard in negotiations over access for humanitarian aid. This input is vital for effective and sustainable aid delivery as well as maximising the safety of 49 those …
Gov response: 117. We take our responsibilities as a humanitarian donor seriously and we recognise the importance of evolving our own risk management approaches to keep pace with evolving threats. 118. We plan to review existing programme …
Under Consideration
#8 — Explore creative diplomacy with likeminded states to solve access issues and evaluate FCDO capacity.
Recommendation: We recommend that the UK explores creative forms of diplomacy with likeminded states that can bring maximum pressure and combined diplomatic capability to solving specific access issues. As part of this initiative the diplomatic capacity and influence of the FCDO …
Gov response: 92. We agree that humanitarian aid must be facilitated in an impartial, neutral and independent way without political or physical impediments. The protection of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, must be central to UK diplomatic …
Accepted
#7 — FCDO's traditional approaches to humanitarian access challenges are ineffective, requiring a new strategy.
Recommendation: The FCDO appears to be repeating the same approaches to overcoming access challenges whilst expecting different results. Successful records of traditional forms of public diplomacy in promoting unimpeded access to aid are patchy at best. Polarisation within bodies such as …
Gov response: 79. Humanitarian personnel are experiencing increased risks to their safety and security. Responsibility for protection of aid workers by conflict parties is outlined in international humanitarian law. Personnel participating in humanitarian relief operations are usually …
Under Consideration
#6 — Prioritise military-to-military training on International Humanitarian Law for foreign militaries.
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government prioritises military-to-military training on IHL in line with the increase in defence spending. It should make full use of the range of resources it has at its disposal to support foreign militaries to understand not …
Gov response: 37. We are clear, robust and consistent, including through our work in New York and Geneva and our work at multilateral institutions, in our support for IHL and the need to uphold IHL in Gaza. …
Not Addressed
#1 — Rising aid worker deaths and IHL breaches increasingly traded off by belligerents with deadly consequences.
Recommendation: Numbers of aid worker deaths are rising year on year and the situations where access to aid is deliberately impeded are also increasing. This violates the purpose of IHL: to protect civilians in a time of war. We see growing …
Gov response: 5. IHL (also known as the law of armed conflict, or the laws of war) serves several important purposes. It seeks to balance military requirements and humanitarian considerations, serving as a critical tool in seeking …
Accepted
#20 — Participate in multilateral peace process, supporting reconstruction and UN agencies in Gaza and West Bank.
Recommendation: A key component of the UK’s policy in support of a two-state solution must be participation in the reconstruction of Gaza and areas of the West Bank that have been rendered uninhabitable by military action. Institution building requires physical infrastructure …
Gov response: The Government agrees with this recommendation. The UK has been working closely with our international and regional partners to build consensus on Gaza’s future security and governance arrangements, in addition to planning for early recovery …
Accepted
#1 — Replace Gaza Humanitarian Foundation system with a UN-led humanitarian aid system.
Recommendation: The situation in Gaza and the West Bank is intolerable. Ministers and diplomats should exert every effort to reach an immediate end to the fighting, population displacement and restrictions on supplies of essentials. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) system has …
Gov response: The Government agrees with the recommendation that the UK must redouble its efforts to bring about a ceasefire. The UK is pressing for an urgent ceasefire, the immediate release of the hostages, for aid to …
Accepted
#20 — Set out plan to rapidly increase engagement with local actors in humanitarian settings
Recommendation: In response to this report, the Department must set out how it will make rapid progress in meeting commitments made, principally via the Grand Bargain and Global Compact on Refugees, to increase its engagement with and utilisation of local and …
Gov response: Agree FCDO is leading global donor efforts to transform humanitarian funding and drive locally led delivery in alignment with the humanitarian reset. This includes increasing contributions to humanitarian pooled funds and scaling up funding through …
Accepted
#18 — Insufficient progress meeting localisation commitments in humanitarian programming.
Recommendation: Despite long-standing commitments, the Government is not making sufficient progress in meeting its commitments to localisation in humanitarian programming. The steps taken by the UNHCR on improving localisation in its partnerships should serve as a blueprint for how the Government …
Gov response: We are working hard to direct our humanitarian funding to support localisation, such as in Myanmar where over 65% of UK funding has gone to local organisations. In 2022, the FCDO assisted with establishing the …
Accepted
#22 — Ensure coherence for locally-led programmes by developing a cross-departmental local leadership strategy.
Recommendation: The Minister for International Development must ensure that there is coherence across the department in respect of promoting locally-led programmes and ensuring they deliver good VfM. This should include prioritising the development of a local leadership strategy as a cross- …
Gov response: Partially agree. The FCDO has added ‘locally led’ as a principle for good quality programming in the refreshed PrOF and will follow this up with detailed guidance on existing good practice, to advise colleagues working …
Partially Accepted
#21 — Prioritise localised interventions for specific challenges to maximise ODA value for money.
Recommendation: The Government must prioritise localised interventions for context-specific challenges, including poverty reduction and community health. Given a reduced ODA budget, these interventions should be targeted towards areas with the highest level of impact to maximise VfM and fulfil the globally …
Gov response: Agree. Country-led, whole of society and context-specific development partnerships are at the heart of the FCDO’s bilateral offer. The alleviation of poverty is the foundation of everything the FCDO does and is the primary purpose …
Not Addressed
#14 — Cap Home Office in-donor refugee costs at a fixed percentage of total ODA.
Recommendation: The Government should consider that Home Office in-donor refugee costs should be capped at a fixed percentage of total ODA spend to protect a rapidly diminishing envelope of funding. This should include formal review points if projections breach 80% of …
Gov response: Disagree. The FCDO’s ODA budget is no longer automatically exposed to spending by other government departments, including demand-driven refugee and asylum costs in the UK, so a cap on Home Office in-donor refugee costs is …
Not Accepted
#13 — Excessive in-donor refugee spend, especially hotel costs, contravenes ODA's development spirit.
Recommendation: Whilst the Committee recognises that in-donor refugee spend is allowable under DAC rules, in a world of rapidly decreasing aid budgets it is not in the spirit of what ODA should be used for, which per the OECD is spending …
Gov response: Disagree. The FCDO’s ODA budget is no longer automatically exposed to spending by other government departments, including demand-driven refugee and asylum costs in the UK, so a cap on Home Office in-donor refugee costs is …
Not Accepted
#12 — High in-country refugee costs are disproportionately classified as ODA, diverting funds from global poor.
Recommendation: The Committee notes the continuing badging of high levels of Government spending on refugee costs within the UK as ODA with dismay. Whilst the Spending Review commits to ending the use of asylum hotels in this Parliament, the level of …
Gov response: Disagree. The FCDO’s ODA budget is no longer automatically exposed to spending by other government departments, including demand-driven refugee and asylum costs in the UK, so a cap on Home Office in-donor refugee costs is …
Not Accepted
#30 — Ensure multilateral funding scales community energy projects, empowering beneficiaries through global leadership and best practices
Recommendation: The Government should ensure that funding through multilaterals offers opportunities to scale community energy projects. It should take a global leadership role to guarantee that communities benefit from energy access projects in ways that empower them. This could include facilitating …
Gov response: Government Response: Agree 70. The FCDO agrees with this, and we are leading by example with our domestic commitments, mobilising public and private capital, forging partnerships, working with partners and utilising the expertise of UK …
Accepted
#27 — Foster grassroots innovation by creating platforms for communities to co-design energy solutions
Recommendation: The Government should use its convening power to foster grassroots innovation by creating platforms for young people and local communities to co-design energy solutions. This could involve facilitating partnerships, research exchanges, and mentorship programmes between UK institutions and counterparts in …
Gov response: Government Response: Agree 63. The FCDO agrees with this and remains committed to using its convening power to bring together communities, innovators, and institutions to co-design solutions that deliver improved energy access. As part of …
Accepted
#23 — Government's overreliance on innovation in aid strategy carries inherent risks
Recommendation: The Government’s aid strategy rightly emphasises research and innovation, leveraging FCDO’s distinctive ability to connect global expertise with local knowledge and fostering strong partnerships with the UK research community. However, overreliance on innovation carries risks that need to be acknowledged …
Gov response: Government Response: Partially Agree 54. The FCDO’s Research and Development ODA portfolio leverages UK scientific, engineering, business, and financing strengths to deliver practical, scalable innovations that address global development challenges. These include low-cost technologies and …
Accepted
#15 — Require active involvement of disabled people in energy projects, providing accessible support and reporting outcomes
Recommendation: The FCDO should require community energy projects to actively involve people with disabilities in project design and governance, provide accessible technical and capacity-building support, and report on disability-disaggregated outcomes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 54)
Gov response: Agree 63. The FCDO agrees with this and remains committed to using its convening power to bring together communities, innovators, and institutions to co-design solutions that deliver improved energy access. As part of the UK’s …
Under Consideration
#14 — Support women's leadership and central role in community energy projects
Recommendation: The FCDO should ensure women are central to community energy projects by supporting their leadership, and designing interventions around their needs, so they act as agents of change rather than just beneficiaries. It should report on the extent to which …
Gov response: Government Response: Partially agree 29. The FCDO recognises that women’s participation and leadership is crucial to the success of community energy projects and achieving SDG7. In line with the International Development Act (Gender Equality Act) …
Partially Accepted
#13 — Inclusive community participation enhances the effectiveness and sustainability of energy initiatives
Recommendation: Inclusion is central to the effectiveness, sustainability, and legitimacy of community energy initiatives. Projects designed and governed with the active participation of women, people with disabilities, and other under- represented groups are more likely to deliver meaningful, lasting benefits and …
Gov response: Partially Agree 54. The FCDO’s Research and Development ODA portfolio leverages UK scientific, engineering, business, and financing strengths to deliver practical, scalable innovations that address global development challenges. These include low-cost technologies and business models …
Accepted
#12 — Document and analyse community-led energy project successes and failures to inform future programmes
Recommendation: The FCDO should systematically document and analyse successes and failures of community-led energy projects, including technical, social, and financial aspects, through annual learning reviews and case studies. Findings should be shared internally and with external partners to inform the design, …
Gov response: Partially Agree 50. The FCDO understands the interconnectedness between energy access and climate adaptation, including, critically, water security. If well designed, access to energy can help communities reduce their vulnerability to climate change. Social and …
Under Consideration
#11 — Review FCDO accountability frameworks to support local implementers in meeting funding requirements
Recommendation: We recognise that there is sometimes a gap between the accountability expectations of donors and the capacity of local implementers. We recommend that in the next six months the FCDO reviews its accountability frameworks ensuring they are fit for purpose …
Gov response: Government Response: Partially Agree 26. The FCDO’s Programme Operating Framework (PrOF)2 sets out requirements for projects delivering UK ODA to ensure strong protections and safeguards across all funded activities. These requirements include comprehensive measures to …
Not Accepted
#10 — Require inclusive community participation, recognising marginalised groups, as a condition for UK energy funding
Recommendation: The Government should make inclusive community participation across all stages of design, governance, and implementation a condition of UK funding for energy access. This should involve recognising and resourcing communities, particularly marginalised groups, as decision-makers. (Recommendation, Paragraph 45)
Gov response: Government Response: Agree 21. The FCDO recognises that insufficient community engagement can undermine the effectiveness, sustainability, and equity of energy access projects. The FCDO promotes community engagement through inclusive models such as cooperatives, public-private partnerships, …
Partially Accepted
#9 — Technology-driven energy projects risk limited local ownership, compromising legitimacy and sustainability.
Recommendation: Energy projects are often technology-driven, which heightens the risks associated with limited local ownership and maintenance capacity. Emphasis should not be placed on rapid deployment or narrow output targets, but rather on meaningful community involvement. When engagement is top-down or …
Gov response: Partially Agree 37. The FCDO increasingly utilises disaggregated data, including gender, disability, and geographic information, to inform inclusive planning for clean energy access, though availability and consistency vary across programmes. 38. Geographic data is routinely …
Accepted in Principle
#8 — Energy access projects succeed with genuine local co-design and long-term capacity strengthening.
Recommendation: Energy access projects and programmes are more likely to succeed when they are genuinely co-designed with local stakeholders, inclusive of marginalised groups, and supported by long-term capacity-strengthening. (Conclusion, Paragraph 43)
Gov response: Government Response: Agree 21. The FCDO recognises that insufficient community engagement can undermine the effectiveness, sustainability, and equity of energy access projects. The FCDO promotes community engagement through inclusive models such as cooperatives, public-private partnerships, …
Accepted
#6 — FCDO and BII's implicit emphasis on community-led energy lacks genuine local consideration.
Recommendation: The emphasis put by the FCDO and British International Investment (BII) on community-led energy is often implicit. The key concern is not the absence of the label, but whether localised energy systems are truly considered as a viable option and …
Gov response: Government Response: Partially Agree 16. Through our TEA and Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programmes we have established a strong approach to fostering local partnerships and inclusion. More broadly, under the Ayrton Fund for clean …
Partially Accepted
#5 — Establish a working group by 2026 to embed energy access across FCDO policies and create incentives.
Recommendation: The FCDO must embed energy access across development, climate and humanitarian policies. A departmental working group should be set up by the end of 2026 to coordinate delivery. The FCDO should also create 32 targeted funding and measurable incentives for …
Gov response: 25. We recognise that technology-driven energy projects can face challenges around local ownership and maintenance. To address this, our approach prioritises meaningful community engagement, capacity-building, and co-design with local stakeholders. This ensures that solutions are …
Under Consideration
#23 — Consider interconnected challenges in fragile states when deploying ODA financial and human resources holistically.
Recommendation: We urge the Government to consider the nature of interconnected challenges such as nutrition, food systems, education, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, and governance challenges—particularly in relation to fragile and conflict-affected states—as it plans how it will deploy its financial and …
Gov response: 34. The FCDO is transitioning to differentiated development partnerships based on mutual benefit – taking account of country need and long term UK interest. The UK will prioritize our geographic ODA where humanitarian needs are …
No Published Response
#22 — Government must maintain flexibility within ODA priorities to respond to interconnected development challenges.
Recommendation: The Government’s focusses on global health, and climate and nature are welcome. However, the Government must maintain the flexibility within these priorities to accommodate the interconnectedness of development challenges. It also needs the flexibility to be able to respond to …
Gov response: Partially Agree 34. The FCDO is transitioning to differentiated development partnerships based on mutual benefit – taking account of country need and long term UK interest. The UK will prioritize our geographic ODA where humanitarian …
No Published Response
#19 — ODA resourcing decisions must prioritise greatest need in fragile and climate-vulnerable states.
Recommendation: In the coming years, the greatest need will be in fragile and conflict- affected states, and states most vulnerable to climate change. Working in partnership to address these needs mutually benefits the affected countries and the UK. The empowerment and …
Gov response: Partially Agree 34. The FCDO is transitioning to differentiated development partnerships based on mutual benefit – taking account of country need and long term UK interest. The UK will prioritize our geographic ODA where humanitarian …
No Published Response
#11 — Badly designed development and humanitarian assistance poses risks to beneficiaries and UK reputation.
Recommendation: Badly designed and delivered development and humanitarian assistance is bad for the UK. It carries risks to those it is designed to serve and reputational risks to the UK Government. (Conclusion, Paragraph 27)
Gov response: Partially agree 22. The FCDO is taking a partnership-led approach to development. As part of this, our country network will have the flexibility to deliver the development our partners want and the FCDO is also …
No Published Response
#11 —
Recommendation: It is imperative that aid beneficiaries who become victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse have access to the support and services they need, and they are informed how to safely use them. The potential need to provide these …
Gov response: The FCDO’s guidance to staff and implementing partners for the Covid-19 period states that Gender-Based Violence and child protection support services should be considered a core part of any humanitarian response and that SEAH survivors …
Under Consideration
NAO Audit Recommendations (2)
Progress with trade negotiations
Building on the vision set out in the 2021 Integrated Review, DIT’s Outcome Delivery Plan and the negotiations carried out to date, DIT should bring together its trade strategy in one place. This would help to: • clarify how the …
Rejected
Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme – progress review
The Department should review the information given by the Help to Buy agents and developers to potential buyers, to confirm that it fully explains the financial risks of buying a new-build property through the scheme.
Accepted
IMB Recommendations (2)
Ford (2020)
Rehabilitation should be at the forefront of policy decisions relating to the open estate and your department’s handling of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“furlough”) was deplorable. Conflicting and misleading information has almost certainly led to some men leaving the prison system disadvantaged by significant amounts of money with which to re-enter the community at a time when they needed …
Ministry of Justice
Charter Flight (2022)
Returnees’ understandable anxieties about money could and should be ameliorated in advance. Custodial staff or Home Office officials in the IRC must better manage expectations around returnees’ applications for a resettlement grant under the facilitated returns scheme. Secondly, HOIE must agree a best practice approach with the Prison Service to resolve the problem of returnees being removed with postal orders, …
Home Office
PHSO Casework Decisions (6)
P-002367 — Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Ms R complains about the poor administration, communication and conflicting advice given when she applied for a Green Homes Grant Voucher to make home improvements.
UK Government
Dec 2023
P-001855 — Rural Payments Agency
Mr K complains he was given incorrect advice which led him to include ineligible parts of his land in an agreement. He also complains the compliance inspection was badly conducted.
UK Government
Upheld
Mar 2023
P-003883 — Home Office
Mr C complains the Home Office was wrong to not award him compensation under its Windrush Compensation Scheme.
UK Government
Jul 2023
P-003024 — Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Mr J complains the FCDO did not do enough to support him when his children were abducted by his ex-wife.
UK Government
Oct 2024
P-003396 — Home Office
Ms L says the Windrush compensation scheme (WCS) gave her the wrong amount of compensation for loss of access to employment, and the impact on her life. She says WCS ignored evidence and provided misleading information throughout the process. She also complains about lengthy delays and lack of transparency and …
UK Government
Mar 2025
P-001633 — Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Mr A complains about the FCDO and the service he received when he requested assistance for his return to the UK.
UK Government
Oct 2022
LGO / SPSO Decisions (8)
23-012-095 — Greater London Authority
Mr X complains about how the Authority installed and carried out updates to his home under the Warmer Homes Scheme. Mr X says this caused him distress and the loss of use of his property. The Ombudsman has discontinued the complaint as an alternative remedy is available to resolve the …
LGO (Local Government & …
Housing
Not Upheld
Apr 2024
25-005-394 — Transport for London
Summary: Mr X complained about the way Transport for London (TfL) handled his application to its vehicle scrappage scheme. We found TfL at fault because it wrongly rejected Mr X’s application and delayed responding to his complaints. TfL has acknowledged the fault and offered a suitable remedy.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Upheld
Sep 2025
201303140 — The Highland Council
Mr C phoned the council's Scottish Welfare Fund team to ask about applying for a crisis grant. The call handler said that he was not eligible because he was not in receipt of a qualifying benefit. Mr C then complained because he felt the call handler did not deal with …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Local Government
Upheld
Sep 2014
21-007-544 — Cannock Chase District Council
Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his request for an Additional Restrictions Grant, causing him financial loss, distress and wasted time. We found fault in the Council’s communications causing injustice. We recommended the Council apologise to Mr X, consider a late grant application and take action to …
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Upheld
Apr 2022
22-004-629 — London Borough of Sutton
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision that the complainants home was unsuitable for a guest to stay in, under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council reached its decision.
LGO (Local Government & …
Housing
Jul 2022
21-015-543 — Middlesbrough Borough Council
Summary: Mr B complained the Council failed to sufficiently support his business both when refusing a grant to support the business during the COVID-19 pandemic and more generally. We do not uphold the complaint finding no fault by the Council.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Not Upheld
May 2022
22-007-362 — Royal Borough of Greenwich
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an alleged misuse of public funds as such complaints are not within our remit.
LGO (Local Government & …
Housing
Sep 2022
24-019-558 — Huntingdonshire District Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council not fulfilling its duty to publicise or tell her about a national government financial support scheme for flooded properties. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant us investigating. There is insufficient evidence that Council …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Apr 2025