Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support (a) British holidaymakers and (b) residents of the Overseas Territories in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Irma.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) activated its Crisis Centre on 6 September, before the hurricane made landfall in the Caribbean. Since then, the FCO has led the cross-Government response to this unprecedented crisis. A number of Government Departments are co-located in the crisis centre and are working round the clock to provide the best possible assistance to those affected in the British Overseas Territories and other areas struck by the hurricane.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay was pre-positioned in the Caribbean in July, ahead of the hurricane season. Two RAF transport aircraft were sent to the region on 7 September carrying and emergency supplies. On 8 September, a further two aircraft delivered a Puma transport helicopter and ancillary supplies. This steady tempo of relief flights has been sustained and on 11 September included a Voyager and a C-17A. That large military effort continues. We now have over 1000 military personnel and over 50 UK police officers in the region.

Over half a million British Nationals have been affected by Hurricane Irma. Since 8 September we have taken over 2,500 calls on our crisis hotline and are handling 2,418 consular cases. Consular teams in Cuba and the US are working closely with tour operators and local authorities to ensure British nationals are getting the support they need.

In St Martin, a four person rapid deployment team (RDT) arrived on 12 September. We also have RDT teams in BVI, Anguilla and TCI. They will be working with the local authorities and supporting British Nationals requiring consular assistance.

We have arranged military-assisted departures for 12 vulnerable eligible persons from the BVI and are planning military-assisted departures for vulnerable persons in other affected Overseas Territories.

In the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands, we have Foreign Office staff on the ground who are working closely with UK military, Department for International Development colleagues and local authorities to coordinate the humanitarian relief effort and provide assistance. We have already reinforced the teams supporting the Governors and are sending further reinforcements to the region.

In addition to the £32 million already committed to support recovery efforts in the Islands, the Prime Minister made a further commitment of £25 million on 13 September. Restoring security, critical infrastructure and the provision of humanitarian and consular assistance remain our priorities in the region.

Over 40 metric tonnes of DFID aid has now arrived and is being distributed across the region. This includes 2,608 kits, which can provide shelter for over 13,000 people and 2,304 solar lanterns, which can provide essential light and power for over 11,000 people. With our support, the Red Cross are providing drinking water, family hygiene kits, blankets, tarpaulins and other emergency supplies across the islands. We are working with Thomson, Thomas Cook and Virgin who are providing aircraft to help deliver aid to the region. Examples of aid provided includes nine tonnes of food and water and more is on the way.

HMS Ocean has been loaded with 200 pallets of DFID aid, 60 pallets of Emergency Relief Stores, 5,000 hygiene kits, 10,000 buckets and 504,000 Aquatabs as well as equipment of behalf of the French military and a generous gift of vehicles from the Government of Gibraltar. HMS Ocean is now enroute to the region.