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UPDATE JANUARY 2006: The UK has pledged over £128 million to the relief effort. £70 million is for the long term reconstruction effort over the next three years, in addition to £58 million for the emergency fund. A donor conference was held on Saturday 19th November in Islamabad at which the international community pledged more than $58 billion towards the long term reconstruction effort.

I recently asked Hilary Benn MP how his Department is assisting the Pakistani authorities to cope with winter conditions in the earthquake zone. He replied: DFID is continuing to support helicopter provision throughout winter through support to the UN Humanitarian Air Service. DFID funded Royal Engineers are providing emergency shelter building operations in remote high-altitude areas in the Bagh region. DFID continues to channel support through UN agencies and non-governmental organisations to ensure the provision of relief assistance throughout winter, including support to camp management, shelter, health, water and sanitation.

The UK's relief effort has included:

• 16 flights carrying 900 tonnes of relief supplies including 40,000 sleeping mats; 30,000 tarpaulins; 27,280 wool blankets; 19,700 jerry cans; 3,500 winterised tents; 3,150 rations; 50 Global Positioning System Units; 2 refuelers and 1 Humanitarian Information Centre
• Over £7 million towards the UN Flash Appeal including support for the UN Air Service to maintain airlifts
• Over £3 million to the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement
• £3 million for the use of three RAF Chinook helicopters which have been transferring casualties to Islamabad and flying aid into the region. These have airlifted 329 tonnes of relief supplies and carried out 151 medical evacuations
• A unit of Royal Engineers to work under NATO command

Background:

On 8th October an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale hit with the epicentre in Muzaffarabad, 95km north east of Islamabad. The earthquake covered an area of approximately 30,000 sq miles and affected nine districts in Pakistan.

I visited the earthquake regions of Pakistan at the end of October 2005. I kept a diary during my visit. Pictures from the visit are here.

I flew back feeling distressed and upset at what I had seen.

This is a global catastrophe that requires global solutions. Greater efforts need to be made to prevent any further unnecessary deaths.

The response from the public in Tooting, and the rest of the UK has been extremely generous. Locally, charities and faith groups have organised collections and sent out much needed supplies to the areas affected by the earthquake.

In the case of the tsunami, 80 per cent. of the aid pledged by the international community to the UN was realised in two weeks: more than four weeks after the earthquake, Pakistan had only received 12 per cent. of the promised aid. The situation is desperate in Pakistan and the relief effort is not getting through in some places.

On 11th November, I secured an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the earthquake, and highlighted the sheer scale of the crisis. Thousands of people remain stranded in the mountains without access to food, shelter and sanitation, and heavy snowfall and rain has been reported across the affected region. The full text of the debate is here.

There are three things that can be done:

• urgent help with reconstruction and rehabilitation

• The UK to use its presidency of the G8 and EU to influence the international community to do more to help

• trade relief for Pakistan to help the country recover from the catastrophe

When I was in Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that the best thing that the public could do at the moment was to continue to donate money to the relief effort. This can easily be done online via the Disasters Emergency Committee.

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