Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 July (HL754), what marginal cost amounts will be credited to the defence budget for providing such humanitarian assistance in Sierra Leone, Nepal and the Mediterranean; and, in each case, what percentage of the total cost of this assistance to the defence budget those marginal costs represent.

The Ministry of Defence has received £28.8 million for the marginal costs associated with providing humanitarian assistance in Sierra Leone. While costs are still being refined, the Ministry of Defence expects to receive up to £5 million for marginal costs incurred in support to the Nepal earthquake relief, and up to £11 million for costs associated with the deployment of HMS Bulwark and Merlin helicopters to the Mediterranean for search and rescue activities.

As there is a standing arrangement for the Ministry of Defence to recover the marginal costs associated with support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the total costs are not available.