Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure long-term support is provided to Nepal to help repair infrastructure and rebuild homes, schools and hospitals.

The UK has a longstanding friendship with Nepal, prior to the earthquake, the UK was already the largest bilateral donor in Nepal and we are committed to maintaining our support. As the emergency response shifts towards longer term recovery, we will develop new initiatives and adapt some of our existing programmes to provide appropriate support to earthquake-affected areas.

There will be an international conference in Kathmandu on 25 June at which the Government of Nepal will present its plans for post-earthquake reconstruction. This conference will help the UK and other donors to plan and coordinate assistance programmes over the medium to longer term. Ensuring that local communities are less vulnerable to earthquakes in the future is a huge challenge but it will remain an important part of our future work.