The newly appointed International Aid secretary has ordered an
"emergency audit" of money spent by her department on private foreign
aid consultancies.It has emerged that in 2011 the Department for International Development (Dfid) spent £500 million on private consultants and funding consultancy firms.
Justine Greening, a trained accountant who was appointed Secretary of State for International Development this month, is understood to be looking closely at her department's spending.
Catholic aid charities, including the Catholic aid agency for England and Wales Cafod and Progressio, receive a significant portion of their income from Dfid.
Some 15 per cent of Cafod's £55.9 million income last year came from Dfid and other grants.
Ms Greening has already met Cafod, who are keen to defend the level of their grant.