Written question asked by Alex Sobel (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 June 2026. It was answered by Stephen Doughty (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 June 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Disaster Relief

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria and membership structure of the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) under the Humanitarian Response Funding mechanism; and whether she plans to launch a new call for expression of interest for organisations to join the RRF, including small and locally-led humanitarian organisations with demonstrated operational capacity.

Answer: The Rapid Response Facility has not been used since 2019 and there are no plans to revive its use. Alternative mechanisms, such as the Start Fund have provided a more efficient route for providing funding to NGOs, and currently has a membership of 145 NGOs, of which over 100 are local or national NGOs. The Start Fund responds globally to small and medium sized humanitarian emergencies and helps build the operational response capacity and leadership of locally led humanitarian organisations.

Secondary information