BRITAIN is set to double the amount of emergency foreign aid to more than £300million a year in a scheme which hands debit cards to families in war zones.

The Department for International Development (DfID) insists the money will be used to provide food, shelter and medical assistance to people in humanitarian disasters.

Currently, the government spends about 14.5 per cent, around £157million, of the £1bn humanitarian budget, on direct cash transfers to families.

Importantly, the overall humanitarian budget, a component of the foreign aid budget used to help people in disaster zones, will stay the same - it is only the proportion used for the scheme which is increasing to at least 29 per cent.

A spokesman told The Sun Online that people in war-ravaged Yemen and Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon will benefit.

According to the department’s latest report, the UK could be spending more than £300 million per year - £3bn over a decade - on the scheme.

The government believes handing refugees cash and debit cards cuts bureaucracy, delivers value for money and gives dignity back to people in need of help.

Last year, it was revealed that a similar scheme was being used in Pakistan where people were pictured at ATM machines withdrawing money from the UK government, reports the Daily Mail.

However, tens of millions are already spent by other parts of the DfID budget on similar cash transfer initiatives.

The scheme in Pakistan is not believed to come out the humanitarian aid budget but another part of the department’s spending.

According to the Mail, some people using the cards in the country claimed they had received them after bribing officials.

A DfID spokesman said the government uses “robust” checks including biometric technology to eliminate fraud.

He said: “UK aid can be the difference between life and death for many of the world's poorest people, and our cash transfers are helping to eliminate fraud and deliver maximum value for money for UK taxpayers.

“We have robust checks, including biometric technology, to make sure every penny of UK aid goes to those who need our help the most and evidence shows that in some cases cash transfers can deliver double the benefits of food aid.”