Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to remote communities in Nepal affected by the earthquakes to prepare for and cope with winter.

The UK’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal now stands at £70 million, making it one of the largest bilateral donors to the humanitarian response. With the onset of winter DFID is stepping up its support, particularly for communities in high altitudes. We are providing over 200,000 people with clothes, blankets, shelter kits, cooking stoves and solar lamps; reaching an additional 60,000 people with temporary shelter; and helping over 58,000 internally displaced people currently living in makeshift camps. In addition, we are providing logistic support to help transport emergency relief overland, including with mules and porters, to the most remote areas. We are also supporting helicopter operations to reach out to remote high altitude regions.

The UK support to the humanitarian response has already delivered important results including: 5,600,000 people benefitting from the restoration of healthcare services in their area; 200,000 benefitting from shelter support; and 80,000 people receiving cash transfers for restoration of houses and livelihoods.