Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the government of Nepal to extend the waiver on custom duties on life-saving humanitarian items.

We are very concerned about the resumption of import duties on humanitarian relief items in Nepal, which risks impeding the delivery of urgent assistance to highly vulnerable communities. UK officials have been actively lobbying the Government of Nepal for the reintroduction of a customs waiver and are supporting the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in his lobbying efforts. European Ambassadors, including the UK, met with senior Nepali Ministers last week to request changes to customs regulations while the need for humanitarian supplies remains.