Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the economic recovery in Nepal since the earthquake in April 2015.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The Nepal government estimates that GDP reduced by 1.5% as a result of the earthquake. Economic recovery has been slow and uncertain.

Delays setting up the National Reconstruction Authority and unrest in the border area with India, which has closed most border crossings for over 6 weeks, make economic recovery challenging. We are pressing the government to prioritise the post-disaster response.

The UK is providing up to £35 million for technical assistance to the Government of Nepal to directly mobilise more than £600 million of private investment into growth-boosting sectors, such as export-focused hydropower projects, indirectly generating better-paying jobs for unskilled and low-skilled Nepalese. The UK is also investing in building and maintaining roads to improve access in Nepal.