Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian support his Department is providing to people in Beirut.

The UK is a long-standing friend and supporter of Lebanon and the Lebanese people. We have provided significant assistance to Lebanon, allocating over £700 million in humanitarian and development funding since the start of the Syria crisis. The UK's development support and technical expertise has generated investment and jobs, provided children with access to quality education; and provided humanitarian support to those most in need - both refugees and vulnerable Lebanese.

We will continue to stand with Lebanon in its time of urgent need following the devastating Beirut Port explosion. We have announced a £25 million package of humanitarian support making us one of the biggest donors to the crisis. £20 million of this, through the UN's World Food Programme, will help the country's most vulnerable by going directly to those families most at risk to cover their essential survival needs, including access to food and medicine. We have also allocated £3 million to the British Red Cross to meet urgent multi-sector needs. And we have deployed UK technical expertise, including medical and humanitarian specialists to assist with the response on the ground and help plan the next stages of the UK and international response.