Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of (a) writing off and (b) postponing debt repayments from St Vincent to the UK due to the effect of the recent volcanic eruptions on that island.

The UK will suspend the debt repayment due in June from St Vincent and the Grenadines under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), which allows the poorest and most vulnerable countries to suspend debt repayments to their official bilateral creditors. The Chancellor and G20 Finance Ministers recently agreed a further, final, extension to the DSSI which will allow the suspension of all other debt repayments due from St Vincent and the Grenadines to the UK this year.

To address immediate needs, on 12 April we pledged an initial £200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help address the humanitarian impact of the eruptions. This will be used for emergency supplies and other requirements. Urgently needed technical experts will support relief efforts on the ground, support emergency telecommunications, and restore critical lifeline facilities