What a hurricane force farce (cont.)
The British island on the right got nothing from foreign aid budget. The non-British island on the left got £5m
Britain has handed £5million of aid to a Caribbean island – even though the UK is banned from giving foreign aid cash to its own overseas territories devastated by hurricanes.
international Development Secretary Priti Patel announced the handout for Dominica – hit by Hurricane Maria – a week after it emerged the UK could not officially give aid cash to the British Virgin islands, anguilla or the turks and Caicos.
the UK has given £57million to the territories for hurricane damage but, because the OECD economic group says they are too wealthy to qualify for foreign aid, the cash cannot count towards the aid spending target of 0.7 per cent of GDP – about £13billion.
Last night tory MP James Duddridge, who sits on the Commons international development committee, said: ‘the extra £5million is a great help but we need to change international aid rules so we can deploy aid to middle-income countries when disaster hits. if people are without food and water, historic statistics of GDP should not stop us from helping.’
Miss Patel arrived in the Caribbean yesterday to see the damage to overseas territories from two major storms in close succession.
Hurricane Maria ravaged Dominica after making landfall last Monday, leaving 98 per cent of buildings damaged and thousands without power – affecting almost all of the 70,000 population.
Miss Patel announced the Government support as she visited HMS Ocean, which on Friday delivered 60 tons of aid to the Caribbean. She said: ‘the UK has pledged to give £5million to the people of Dominica, the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria – on top of the £57million already promised to the region – to strengthen recovery following these relentless disasters. i have come to the British Virgin islands and anguilla to see first-hand UK aid in action, helping families whose lives have been ripped apart first by Hurricane irma and then Maria.’
Dominica is an independent island nation, which is on the OECD’s list of eligible countries. it is listed as an ‘ upper middle income country’ along with argentina, China and Brazil.
Miss Patel met families in the British Virgin islands whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane irma, and she will visit anguilla to see UK efforts to get schools and businesses up and running.
the £5million pledge brings the UK’s financial support for islands hit by Hurricane Maria and Hurricane irma to £62million.
the Government is also doubling donations from the public to the British red Cross’s irma and Maria appeals, a pledge which has so far raised more than £2million.
the £5million in aid comes after the prime minister of Dominica requested international support. it will go on restoring health services in the worst-affected areas.
Dominica was the first Caribbean island directly hit by the category-five force of Maria. at least seven died as trees were stripped bare, houses torn to pieces and cars smashed into the road.
While the British Virgin islands escaped a direct hit from Maria, Hurricane irma caused devastation and killed five. thousands of homes lost roofs and many lost electricity and water supplies.