Disaster Relief

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria are used to assess the suitability of funding specific emergencies;  and how much is set aside for this purpose in addition to the £58 million of core funding allocated to humanitarian organisations.

Mr. Michael Foster
The Department for International Development (DFID) responds to humanitarian emergencies according to an assessment of objective criteria of need and the internationally accepted principles of impartiality and neutrality. For immediate rapid response DFID each year sets aside around £15 million which can then be supplemented with additional DFID funding in the event of a major disaster, such as recently for cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.