Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Lebanon and (b) the Middle East on ensuring that aid can be brought into Lebanon.

The UK continues to engage with international partners on alleviating the suffering of those most in need in Lebanon, including refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. I attended the International Conference in Support of Lebanon's People and Sovereignty in Paris on 24 October, where approximately €800 million in humanitarian support was committed. I met Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Environment Minister Nasser Yasin to discuss the situation, as well as other regional and international counterparts. The UK is one of the largest donors to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund. We have announced £10 million of aid to Lebanon, which includes essential medicine, hygiene kits, fuel for water stations, education and child protection services for the most vulnerable children, and cash assistance. This is in addition to the £5 million already provided to support emergency response programming. UK bilateral humanitarian support for this financial year so far is £31 million.