Retail giants including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose given £2m in overseas aid cash
BRITISH supermarket chains including Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S and Waitrose were handed millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash to help overseas workers, it was revealed yesterday.
Six figure grants were given out to projects that helped train up staff and improve conditions for workers in Third World countries who supply the High Street chains.
Around £2.5m was given by DFID to the retailers – who pledged a similar amount.
One £161k Top of the Class scheme led by Sainsbury’s saw 170 workers given "life skills" training. Twelve were given to an all-expenses-paid trip to the UK where they went to the rugby.
Another £300k scheme in Kenya produced a Swahili version of the British radio series The Archers was meant to help raise awareness of education and nutrition.
But officials later found out some workers said the programme was on too late and they were too tired to listen to it, while others didn't own radios.
MPs blasted the payouts – which university academics found had virtually no impact.
Tory MP Peter Bone said: “These are big companies, making millions in profits, and they don’t need the Government to hand out money to improve conditions.
“There’s a huge PR benefit for the companies and it doesn’t need DFID. It’s extraordinary that ordinary taxpayers are subsidising big companies in this way."
Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the country’s commitment to giving 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid needed to be looked at again.
Britain will spend more than £12bn this year on foreign projects.
He added: “Priti Patel is set to try and change that mindset of spending money at any cost.
“Government rarely spends money well but we end up desperate to shovel money out the door.”
Last night a spokesman for DFID said it was “categorically untrue” to say DFID gives money for the benefit of UK retailers.
It’s extraordinary that ordinary taxpayers are subsidising big companies in this way
He added: “DFID works in partnership with UK companies rightly helping to improve working conditions in their supply chains in farms and factories in the developing world.
These projects contribute to developing countries’ efforts to trade their way out of poverty, achieving value for money for UK taxpayers and delivering lasting change for the world’s poorest.”
A Sainsbury's spokesman said the aim of the projects was "to improve the lives of workers, farmers and their families through education".
It came as four international aid bosses accused of “creaming off” millions in foreign aid got gold-plated windfalls of up to £11.4million each.
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A Sunday Times probe revealed executives at Adam Smith International received share payouts and bonuses totalling £43m in the last four years.
The consultancy has received hundreds of millions of pounds of foreign aid from the Government.
Tory MP Richard Bacon, who sits on the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said he would refer the payouts to the spending watchdog the National Audit Office.
He said: “This leaves more than a bad taste. It is clearly of concern whether taxpayers’ money is being spent in an appropriate way.”
Adam Smith International defended the payouts but said it could not provide details for reasons of commercial confidentiality.