Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effects on political stability of the Ebola outbreak in countries having difficulty managing its spread.

The Ebola outbreak has already generated sporadic public order, social and political problems. While we do not anticipate a major breakdown in the countries affected, we recognise the possibility of deterioration and are working to mitigate this risk through increased political messaging, security sector support and though bilateral and multilateral channels.

The UK will continue to work with the affected governments, regional bodies such as the Economic Union of West African States and with other international partners to ensure that risks of instability are managed. Since April 2013 the International Security Advisory Team (ISAT) has been supporting the security sectors in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to help build economic and political stability. ISAT’s work with Sierra Leone builds on more than ten years of UK support for the country’s security sector following the end of the civil war in 2002.