<p>Published in June 2011, the Government's response to Lord Ashdown's Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) made a series of commitments to improve and reinforce the UK response to humanitarian emergencies.</p><p>A number of lessons were learned from the UK's humanitarian response to the Haiti earthquake of 2010, including the importance of preventing and tackling infectious diseases in the period immediately following a disaster. This has directly influenced the Government's decision to deploy a team of 12 UK surgeons and medical staff to provide immediate life-saving assistance in response to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.</p><p>All humanitarian emergencies are different in their characteristics, and the Government's reaction must reflect this. We have committed £50 million in humanitarian support to the Philippines and will keep this under review as the situation becomes clearer.</p>