It is claimed the scheme improves the effectiveness of the £13billion aid budget. But the programme has been dubbed “exporting the dole” by senior Tory MP Nigel Evans.
He said cash transfers “should be for periods of crisis and seen as a short-term fix, not a longterm remedy”.
Mr Evans, a former Commons deputy speaker and member of the International Development Select Committee, said he was unimpressed by the announcement and warned that cash transfers were difficult to control and “open to fraud”.
Penny Mordaunt, who was made Secretary of State for International Development in November, said she is extending direct cash transfers to the poor in a bid to improve value for taxpayers.
She said the scheme offers dignity to recipients and helps the local economy.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon will benefit and Ms Mordaunt insists it will be “firmly in the British interest”.
She says: “UK aid is giving refugee families in Lebanon an allowance so they can buy essential items.
“Our support is giving them dignity, so they can improve their own dire situation.
“The results are remarkable. We are empowering refugees to transform their lives and helping them to stamp out child labour so the most vulnerable can get the education they deserve.”
Britain is committed to spending £77million over two years in conjunction with the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver cash to 10,000 of the poorest refugee families.
It will provide an allowance for food, shelter, household supplies and medical assistance.
The programme uses the latest biometric technology to eliminate fraud and make sure aid goes only to those who need it most.
The Department says regular, rigorous checks are carried out to make sure support is used appropriately.
British officials stress that the money enables children to go to school rather than eking out a living in the black economy.
Some Conservative MPs have previously criticised similar UK cash transfer programmes in Pakistan.
The programme also operates in Uganda, Kenya, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the year to April 2016, Britain distributed 10.6 per cent of its humanitarian aid in cash.
A Department spokesman said last night: “UK aid gives a vital lifeline to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees… struggling to survive the brutal conflict – [it] can be the difference between life and death.
“Cash transfers get aid to those who need it. Every £1 of UK support for Syrian refugees is providing £1.20 worth of traditional aid. Robust checks, including biometric technology, are eliminating fraud.”
The Daily Express Stop The Foreign Aid Madness crusade has called for the Government to cut aid spending overseas.
A recent poll commissioned by the Daily Express showed 84 per cent of voters want at least some of the foreign aid cash spent on the NHS instead.
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