Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid they have provided to Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut on 4 August.

In response to the Beirut Port explosion on 4 August 2020, the UK announced a £25 million package of humanitarian assistance to help support Lebanon in its time of urgent need. This makes us one of the biggest international donors to the crisis.

Of this assistance, £20 million is allocated to the UN World Food Programme in Lebanon and will go directly to help vulnerable families by covering their essential survival needs, and will provide support for cash, vouchers, or in-kind support. £3 million will go to the British Red Cross for emergency support to respond to the explosion.

We rapidly deployed UK experts to Beirut to advise and assist with the response and undertake longer term planning. This has included:

• Specialist medics from the UK's Emergency Medical Team to assess health needs on the ground;
• Humanitarian, logistics and military experts supporting the rapid assessment of damaged critical infrastructure, working with other humanitarian partners to scope needs;
• Specialist teams and equipment on HMS Enterprise to assess the damage to the port - which is a lifeline for Lebanon and for aid transported to neighbouring countries including Syria.