International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, has announced that the Labour Government will treble its funding for humanitarian relief in response to the Haiti earthquake.

Based on assessments on the scale of the disaster, aid will rise from 10 to 30 million dollars.

The additional 20 million dollars  will be put to work providing further relief and recovery work, including food, shelter, basic sanitation and health services.

Labour’s International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, said:

“It is now clear that the international community is dealing with an almost unprecedented level of devastation.

“Our initial assessments show a level of humanitarian need which would severely test the international response in any circumstances. But the impact of this earthquake is magnified because it has hit a country that was already desperately poor and historically volatile.

“To address the needs of the immediate humanitarian response the UK Government will pledge a further million, on top of the million initially donated.”