Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Ruman in providing humanitarian aid to Caribbean islands affected by hurricane Irma.

The military response to Hurricane Irma was swift. RFA Mounts Bay was pre-positioned in the Caribbean; and ships, planes, and helicopters addressed priority issues such as making food, water and shelter available, making critical infrastructure functional and supporting maintenance of law and order where required. The UK Military helped deliver aid to areas otherwise cut-off.