Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the support needed by Venezuela to create appropriate economic conditions for migrants and refugees to return to that country.

Whilst DFID is yet to make such an assessment, the UK has been encouraging the Venezuelan Government to address the most urgent needs of the population. We urge the Venezuelan government to recognise the seriousness of the situation and take immediate action to relieve the suffering from acute shortages of food and medicines. A political solution is urgently required to tackle Venezuela’s deep economic and social crises, and allow those who have left to return to their homes.

We have deployed two humanitarian advisors from DFID as part of a scoping mission and funded five UN agency secondments to the region. In the meantime, our network across Latin America continues to work closely with the EU, the UN and other international actors to alleviate the worsening humanitarian situation.