Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

We are providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through the UN, Non-Governmental Organisations and the Red Cross on the ground, who are continuing to ensure vital aid reaches those who need it most. Between April and November, we disbursed over £70 million for life-saving humanitarian support, including for emergency food, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation, and mine action. We are doubling our humanitarian and development assistance for Afghanistan this year, taking this up to £286 million. On 31 October the Prime Minister announced the allocation of £50 million of UK aid to trusted partners to provide emergency humanitarian aid within Afghanistan and minimise the humanitarian catastrophe over the winter months. We are developing firm plans for the allocation of the remainder of the £286 million and will make further announcements in due course.