Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the shortfall in grain allocated to (1) African, and (2) Middle East, countries as humanitarian aid through United Nations agencies in (1) 2022, and (2) 2023.

The UK Government is closely assessing the food security situation in the Middle East and Africa, including with our international partners. These regions account for most of the 49 million people living a step away from famine are and the 14 countries that are face at least a high risk of political instability from price increases. The pursuit of practical solutions is a key priority for HMG. Over the next three years the UK will direct £3 billion of humanitarian assistance to prevent famine and alleviate suffering. We have already committed funding from this year to UN humanitarian appeals for Somalia (£38.5 million), Yemen (£88 million) and Afghanistan (£286 million). The UK is also the largest overall contributor (£1.4 billion since 2006) to the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). We welcome CERF's recent £83 million allocation to tackle the disruption to global food markets.