Downing Street Says » Prime Minister’s Press Conference

[This is the transcript of one of the Prime Minister’s occasional press conferences; these
are the words of the Prime Minister giving a statement and answering the
questions of journalists. Unlike the PMOS’s briefings, this is a more-or-less
verbatim transcript of the Prime Minister’s words. Such press conferences
happen about once a month, and occasionally more often.]

Read the Prime Minister’s opening statement

Good Morning everyone. In normal circumstances I would start the press conference obviously by wishing you all a Happy New Year, but as we all know these are not normal circumstances. The reaction of the British people to the Tsunami tragedy has been remarkable. Millions of pounds have been raised for the disaster appeal. As I said yesterday, the government’s contribution now and in the future to rebuilding these devastated communities is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds. We will respond positively, for example, to today’s UN flash appeal. We are also aware too that this appalling tragedy has affected hundreds of families here in the UK and thousands across Europe. Scores of British families are already coming to terms with the loss of loved ones, and many more fear the worst. As the hours and days go by it is likely that many of those reported missing will also have died in those terrible minutes on Boxing Day. Our hearts go out to their families in their pain and grief.

What I thought I would do for you this morning is just set out in a little detail, if you will allow me, both the work that we are doing to help British nationals affected by the disaster, but also some of the work that we are doing in humanitarian terms as well out in the region.

The Foreign Office now has temporary offices in all the affected areas to deal directly with British nationals, to liase with local authorities on the ground to try and trace the missing people. There is now for example a team, roughly the size of a medium sized Embassy, established in Phuket. Staff have also been deployed at airports to help with British nationals’ problems and issue emergency passports for those without travel documents. In the UK as you know the call handling centre took over 40,000 calls on 28 December and have subsequently taken some 135,000 in total. To put this in perspective, on an average day across the whole of the UK there are roughly 25,000 999 calls, so it has been a massive effort. British officials and police officers in the region are doing everything they can in the most difficult conditions to help with the identification of British victims and the repatriation of remains where appropriate. 40 British police forensic officials are now working with colleagues from many other countries to help in what is an extremely difficult task. I know that this must only add to the agony of families, I am afraid however there are no short cuts possible. I am afraid that even where bodies are found, the process of identifying them can be very difficult and is likely to take time.

The Foreign Office are funding the deployment of portable mortuary facilities to the disaster areas in Sri Lanka and Thailand and are working closely with international undertakers to facilitate the repatriation of bodies once they have been positively identified. The Foreign Office have asked the authorities throughout the region to ensure that no British victims are included in any mass burial graves.

I should say to you also that individual family liaison officers have been appointed to support families of British nationals believed missing or dead. We will do everything we can to help them in the weeks and months of need, including an offer to all to pay for the costs of repatriating the bodies of loved ones. I am sure that the pressures of these extreme circumstances will inevitably mean that not everything goes smoothly in every set of circumstances, but that should not overshadow the continuing efforts of countless officials and volunteers in conditions which are frankly impossible for us to imagine, to help those caught up in this disaster.

Secondly, to those countries affected we are meeting every request from the United Nations, aid agencies and from the countries themselves. We have already delivered of course as you know much needed assistance. For example we have airlifted emergency medical supplies to Indonesia, enough for 100,000 people for three months, we are sending one million water purification tablets to Aceh, we are providing significant airlift capacity, we have allocated already one RAF C17 plane to the emergency, but there are now two RAF C17s in theatre. With these aircraft we have delivered to Banda Aceh the first phase of equipment to support the UN field office there, forklift emergency lighting, vehicles, communications equipment, as well as further flights carrying food, water, tents, water purification equipment and vehicles. A Hercules and Tristar have also been involved in shuttling deliveries.

We are putting together at the moment plans for further airlifts, both from Europe and other regions, of shelter materials and potentially more emergency help kits to the region. There are two Navy ships, as you know, Frigate Chatham and RFA Diligence which are providing assistance off Sri Lanka. RFA Bay Leaf will arrive in a few days. Their Lynx helicopters are available to move personnel and supplies quickly. We are also providing three chartered MI8 helicopters to the UN for use in Aceh.

At the instance of the Gurkhas based in Brunei we offered the government of Indonesia a company of Gurkhas and the two helicopters attached to the Gurkhas. At present they believe they have sufficient Infantry troops on the ground and are after airlift and transport capacity and specialist expertise. They have therefore accepted the offer of the two helicopters attached to the Gurkhas’ battalion

We have given UNICEF £4 million, to the World Health Organisation £3 million, Red Cross and Crescent £3.5 million, to Save the Children Fund and Christian Aid some £400,000 each, so even as from yesterday the amount of money that we are spending is increasing.

We have now however received a considerable number of project proposals from UK NGOs, and I met the main UK NGOs yesterday and we expect them to be making funding decisions within the next few days.

As you know also, Jack Straw is at a conference in Indonesia to discuss the different sorts of support that the country will need, not just immediately but in the months and years to come, and as you know also Hilary Benn is visiting the region.

However, in addition to all of this, the government will continue to pursue the rest of its agenda at home and abroad. As you know, Gordon Brown is setting out in a speech today the government’s ambitions for Africa. His speech will underline again that we need a comprehensive approach that increases aid, cancels debt, makes trade fairer, reduces conflict and promotes good governance.

The tragedy of the Tsunami was through the force of nature. The tragedy of Africa is through the failure of man. The is the equivalent of a man-made preventable Tsunami every week in Africa. I do not accept there is compassion fatigue on behalf of the British people, on the contrary, I believe there is every chance of mobilising the same extraordinary generosity of spirit and solidarity that Britain and the world have shown over the Tsunami tragedy in supporting the tackling of the tragedy in Africa.

In addition to Gordon’s speech, as you know Ruth Kelly is making her first keynote speech at the North of England Education Conference this afternoon which will set out her and the government’s vision to put parents at the heart of the education system. She will highlight the importance of universal high standards, tackling poor behaviour, the need to recognise every child’s individuality, in other words base the education system around the needs of the individual child and the need to expand choice in our education system.

Charles Clarke is making his first visit to Kent to discuss asylum and immigration. The coming weeks will also see new proposals, not just in this area, but also the five year programmes on housing and welfare reform.

Just one final point. We can only spend more money on aid and make the extra investment in our public services because of the economic stability we now enjoy. I emphasise, this has come about not through chance, but through choice, through the tough decisions that have been taken to stabilise the economy, reduce the number of unemployed, get record investment into our public services and combine that with radical reform. But the economy is the bedrock of everything we do and we will not do anything to put the stability we have won at risk.

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» Thursday, January 6, 2005

Prime Minister’s Press Conference

Read the Prime Minister’s opening statement

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