§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have provided any humanitarian aid in response to the train crash in North Korea; and, if so, how much. [HL2593]
§ Baroness AmosDfID has set aside £56,000 for support to affected households through the International Federation of the Red Cross, having judged this assistance to be the most effective way to meet the unmet needs. Initial appeals for support are well covered, and while the UK was ready to fund the replenishing of disaster relief supplies, the European Commission has pledged 200,000 euros for this purpose. The UK's share of this pledge is approximately 38,000 euros (£25,500).
It is also the case that relief supplies arriving shortly after the train crash were sent from a Red Cross disaster preparedness warehouse, funded by the Department for International Development. Last year DfID provided £200,000 of support to the North Korean Red Cross's disaster preparedness activities, which included the provision of pre-positioned disaster relief supplies. A further £200,000 is committed for 2004–05.
The department will consider further appeals as part of its continuing programme of humanitarian assistance to North Korea.