Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to India to help tackle the increase in covid-19 cases in that country.

The UK has been the first country to deliver life-saving medical equipment to India at a difficult time for them in this pandemic. The UK assistance package includes ventilators and oxygen concentrators from surplus stocks. The first shipment of equipment left the UK on Sunday 25 April 2021, arriving in New Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday morning. It will be used by the Government of India to provide vital medical treatment to those suffering from COVID-19 in India. More than 600 pieces of vital medical equipment, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators, will be sent to India to support the country in its fight against COVID-19.

We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against COVID-19. The UK is working closely with the Government of India to identify further assistance we can provide in the coming days, based on their most pressing needs.