Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Oliver Colvile and Alan Duncan

Wednesday 17th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department takes to reduce the impact of natural disasters by increasing the resilience of communities.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)]

Resilience means equipping communities better to withstand disasters and giving them the means to recover afterwards. DFID’s programmes include investments before disasters, such as in flood defences and setting up systems to give people early warning. We also help people bounce back after the event, for example by setting up insurance schemes and by providing income support.

[Oliver Colvile]

My right hon. Friend will know of the devastating impact that natural disasters have on developing countries and the role that Devonport-based ships play in sorting out disaster relief. What is his Department doing to build the capacity of state institutions in the developing world to deal with the impact of these natural disasters?

[Mr Duncan]

My hon. Friend is right. Navy ships such as those from his constituency have been crucially important in the past—for example, three years ago in Haiti. He is also right about the importance of a country’s capacity. We help in that regard through, for instance, pre-earthquake planning in Nepal and flood preparedness in Bangladesh.