§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they have provided through the Department for International Development for the drought in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. [HL2467]
§ Baroness AmosThe Department for International Development has contributed over £2.7 million for drought relief activities in South Asia. This support has been channelled through the World Food Programme for its operations in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan; to Oxfam for India and £100,000 for Save the Children Fund in Pakistan. We have also seconded a five-person team of specialists to the United Nations Development Programme in Pakistan. They will help complete assessments and develop a medium-term drought response strategy.
We have also deployed our own humanitarian assessment team to India. Information gathered from this and other ongoing regional assessments will be used to inform our strategy and to determine what, if any, further support may be required.