<p>The British Government has committed over £50 million to assist with the disaster relief efforts currently under way in the Philippines. This includes a pledge to match the first £5 million donated by the public to the Disasters Emergency Appeal and the launch of the UK's Rapid Response Facility, which provides emergency support via pre-approved organisations in the event of a humanitarian disaster overseas. This will ensure leading charities have the resources they need to help victims of the typhoon and make the public's generous donations go even further. This is the first time the Government has match-funded a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal. UK support so far has included:</p><p>the redeployment of HMS Daring and HMS Illustrious to the Philippines to join the aid effort;</p><p>providing over 8,800 temporary shelters and over 95 tonnes of materials, such as bedding, blankets, water purification kits and solar lanterns through the Rapid Response Facility;</p><p>flights delivering 4x4s, forklift trucks and cutting equipment to flood hit areas;</p><p>an Antonov 124 aircraft to provide 100 tonnes of airfield handling equipment to enable offloading of relief supplies at Cebu's other airfields;</p><p>the deployment of a team of 12 NHS staff trained to operate under emergency conditions;</p><p>£30 million to support the UN and Red Cross emergency appeals for the Philippines.</p><p>Other European and international institutions are also responding to the crisis. Our response team on the ground are coordinating with other organisations in order to better target UK aid and reduce duplication of efforts.</p><p>The UN has also activated a Level 3 (highest category) Inter-Agency Standing Committee System Wide response.</p>