Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to persuade the Libyan government to issue compensation for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government takes the needs of victims of terrorism in the UK very seriously and is sympathetic to their attempts to seek redress. The current instability in Libya has delayed further discussions with the authorities on the resolution of legacy issues. We have made clear to the Libyan authorities that resolution of legacy issues remain a priority for us. Mr Ellwood raised the issue with Prime Minister Serraj when he met him in Tunis last November. We also raised it with Foreign Minister Siala during the visit to Libya by the former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) earlier this year. In July, Mr Ellwood wrote to the Government of National Accord (GNA) seeking an update on legacy issues, but we do not anticipate a swift response given the current challenges facing the GNA.