Tsunami Disaster

The terrifying scale of the events that took place on Sunday, 26 December and the subsequent devastation caused by the tsunami, shattering communities from as far apart as Malaysia and Indonesia through to Kenya and Somalia in Africa, have made us all stop and think about the world’s vulnerability to shockwaves from natural catastrophe.

The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and representatives of the countries struck by the tsunami, as well as all political parties and charities operating in Wales, joined us at Cathays park on 5 January to take part in a three-minute silence, which was recognised across Europe. This gave us all an opportunity, not only to remember the victims of the tsunami, but to reflect on the right response from Wales to such devastation.

The immediate and generous response of the people of Wales to this disaster has been little short of astounding, and I am proud that Wales has responded so quickly to the appeal for aid, with donations now standing at over £7.5 million. Many individuals from Wales are providing direct assistance in the worst affected areas, and others have co-ordinated fund raising here. Aid agencies led a major push outside retail outlets over the weekend, which is expected to push that £7.5 million figure for Wales even higher.

I commend the efforts of Paul Sargeant and his team at the Wales Millennium Stadium for their initiative in speedily setting up the disaster relief concert, which will take place under the covered roof on 22 January. Again, it is remarkable that all of the tickets have already been sold.

The Department for International Development is responsible for co-ordinating the UK response to the tsunami, and, so far, some £50 million has been pledged for the immediate disaster relief operation. As the Welsh Assembly Government, our powers to allocate funding do not include overseas disaster relief, and there are legal obstacles to the direct contribution of funding. That does not mean that we cannot be effective in supporting the relief effort.

On the afternoon of 5 January, I met with several aid agencies, including Oxfam Cymru, CAFOD Wales, the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, British Red Cross Wales and Christian Aid to discuss how we could assist with aid work. Among the topics discussed were the provision of expertise through staff secondments and the co-ordination of specialist advice. I have also agreed to meet representatives of these agencies regularly to be kept up to date with the progress made, as we recognise that it is now vital that the aid effort is sustained and is effective. We intend to provide appropriate support where we can add value to the operation through commitment and expertise. That work is ongoing. The Permanent Secretary and I have agreed that we should draw up a grid of expertise available among our own staff, NHS Wales staff and researchers in our universities, which we will make available to the Department for International Development.

The thousands whose families and livelihoods have been destroyed need our support now. We must thank those who provided cash, clothes, blankets and other goods in the immediate aftermath of the event. Aid agencies have told us that, henceforth, the best means of support is via cash donations, and not in-kind donations, to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Cash donations can be transferred immediately and can be used to boost damaged local economies in the most fitting way.

We are also helping to co-ordinate the response in Wales and have facilitated a meeting involving the voluntary sector, religious and community leaders and aid agencies. This meeting, held last Thursday, raised issues of a co-ordinated approach to disasters in Wales, support from business and town halls in the longer term and support for the Live-Aid-type concert at the Millennium Stadium.

The sheer scale of this disaster has also meant that several practical steps have needed to be taken here. Our health department is working closely with the UK Department of Health to co-ordinate the response required, involving the repatriation of injured UK residents and health advice to those who have returned. We need to ensure a close liaison between agencies providing support and counselling to relatives of the bereaved. Primary care, social care and mental health services, together with voluntary agencies such as the Red Cross, may all have a role in providing appropriate support to those affected by this disaster. It is understood that every bereaved family will have a police family-liaison officer, and these officers are expected to arrange specialist health or social service support for families where necessary.

As the communities around the Indian Ocean shoreline begin the process of rebuilding their economies, homes, businesses and public services in the coming months and years, we must turn our thoughts to how we as a Government, and the people of Wales, can help in the medium to long term. Many of those who have suffered want to be able to develop their economies and not be dependent on aid in the future. Devolution provides opportunities for Wales to complement the United Kingdom effort through contributing expertise in the medium to long term. The significant amount of cash made available now, and in the coming months, must be channelled in the right way, and it is imperative that the support provided looks to the future development and regeneration of local economies in these areas.

We and our partner organisations in the public sector in Wales are already working with communities across the world. This involves direct secondments, as well as training and research exchanges. I understand, for example, that a number of doctors from the Maldives have trained in NHS Wales recently, and specialists from across the region have previously spent time here. The Assembly Government has also taken a proactive role through the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development, which Wales co-chairs. The network will discuss ways to support regions affected by the crisis at the forthcoming general assembly, which was due to take place in Sumatra, although it has now been postponed, for obvious reasons, until later in 2005. I will be discussing with my Cabinet colleagues how appropriate activity in their portfolio areas could provide support to the stricken areas.

I am sure that our condolences and our thoughts are with those people who have been bereaved, and those who were injured as a result of this tsunami. We sympathise with all the families in the United Kingdom who have been affected by this disaster. We also sympathise with the millions of people in Asia who are now homeless or out of work, and with all those who suffered on Boxing Day.