Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support British Overseas Territories to improve their disaster (a) preparedness and (b) response capabilities in the context of trends in the number of natural disasters.

The UK continues to support UK Overseas Territories to develop preparedness, capability, and capacity to respond to disasters effectively.

This Financial Year, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded crisis leadership and technical skills training for disaster management stakeholders across the Overseas Territories. The FCDO has also supported efforts to improve emergency shelter capacity and standards, grow emergency communications resilience, and understand future threats linked to climate change.

I visited the emergency response centre in Anguilla on my recent visit and have regularly discussed these issues with Overseas Territories leaders, representatives, and Governors, including at the Joint Ministerial Council.