Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to flood affected areas in East Africa; and whether small farmers will be (a) consulted and (b) involved in both short and longer term responses.

Heavy rains continue to have a significant impact across East Africa, with over 350,000 people displaced in Kenya and Tanzania, many of them rural farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted by flooding. The UK is working with humanitarian partners to respond to this latest phase of flooding, including through our contributions to the Start Fund which has allocated support to Tanzania. The UK is also developing long term assistance for community recovery, including working with small farmers, through new and existing partnerships. In Kenya in response to previous to El Niño-related flooding the UK allocated £3.7 million in emergency support.