To ask His Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the increase from £425,000 in 2021–22 to £3 million in 2023–24 in the grant to Turkey for "return & re-integration assistance", which was diverted from the Overseas Development Assistance budget to Home Office International Operations; and what guarantees they have received that this grant will not be used for compulsory repatriation or refoulement.
Answered on
29 June 2023
The £3 million spend in Turkey in 2022 to 2023 was used to deliver training and equipment and exchange visits in relation to border security and detection of narcotics and illicit cash. An additional spend was utilised to support return and reintegration assistance.