Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the reduction of customs and export paperwork requirements between the UK and the EU to enable aid collected by the public to be quickly sent to Eastern countries to assist Ukrainian refugees.

The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with EU, NATO and other international counterparts.

The UK Government advises people to donate cash through trusted charities and humanitarian partners, rather than donating goods. Unsolicited donations, although well-meaning, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent support from getting through. Trusted humanitarian partners are working with the Government of Ukraine and countries in the region to assess needs and deliver the assistance most required. It is usually more efficient for aid organisations to procure required items themselves, and locally, than to process, store, and distribute donated goods.

HMG will also match-fund the public's first £25 million of donations to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, our largest ever aid-match contribution.