Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for monitoring the Register for APPGs and may investigate alleged breaches of the rules.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to make a recommendation to the Prime Minister to appoint a new Trade Envoy for the Caribbean.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

There are no plans at present to appoint a Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Caribbean.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of levels of corruption in Libya’s (a) oil industry and (b) national oil bodies.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is an important institution in Libya with a vital role to play. It is however vulnerable to malign state actors seeking to benefit from Libya's political instability and capture of Libyan wealth by a small number of well-placed individuals through corrupt practices such as fuel smuggling, which can contribute to regional instability. The UK is therefore supportive of any efforts to investigate corruption and impropriety in the NOC and advocates greater transparency on revenue expenditure. The UK is clear that it will investigate any relevant allegations of corruption falling under the Bribery Act 2010. Overall, the UK believes the only means of addressing these issues sustainably is through a political settlement under UN auspices, which it continues to support, including by encouraging all parties to engage meaningfully.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in the number of fuel smuggling routes from Libya on regional stability.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is an important institution in Libya with a vital role to play. It is however vulnerable to malign state actors seeking to benefit from Libya's political instability and capture of Libyan wealth by a small number of well-placed individuals through corrupt practices such as fuel smuggling, which can contribute to regional instability. The UK is therefore supportive of any efforts to investigate corruption and impropriety in the NOC and advocates greater transparency on revenue expenditure. The UK is clear that it will investigate any relevant allegations of corruption falling under the Bribery Act 2010. Overall, the UK believes the only means of addressing these issues sustainably is through a political settlement under UN auspices, which it continues to support, including by encouraging all parties to engage meaningfully.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to discourage multinational energy companies from engaging in corrupt practices in the oil industry in Libya.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is an important institution in Libya with a vital role to play. It is however vulnerable to malign state actors seeking to benefit from Libya's political instability and capture of Libyan wealth by a small number of well-placed individuals through corrupt practices such as fuel smuggling, which can contribute to regional instability. The UK is therefore supportive of any efforts to investigate corruption and impropriety in the NOC and advocates greater transparency on revenue expenditure. The UK is clear that it will investigate any relevant allegations of corruption falling under the Bribery Act 2010. Overall, the UK believes the only means of addressing these issues sustainably is through a political settlement under UN auspices, which it continues to support, including by encouraging all parties to engage meaningfully.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to help counter the influence of unfriendly foreign actors on Libya’s oil industry.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is an important institution in Libya with a vital role to play. It is however vulnerable to malign state actors seeking to benefit from Libya's political instability and capture of Libyan wealth by a small number of well-placed individuals through corrupt practices such as fuel smuggling, which can contribute to regional instability. The UK is therefore supportive of any efforts to investigate corruption and impropriety in the NOC and advocates greater transparency on revenue expenditure. The UK is clear that it will investigate any relevant allegations of corruption falling under the Bribery Act 2010. Overall, the UK believes the only means of addressing these issues sustainably is through a political settlement under UN auspices, which it continues to support, including by encouraging all parties to engage meaningfully.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help prevent the Irish government from returning illegal migrants across the border to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

We have no legal obligation to accept the return of asylum seekers from Ireland.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to strengthen partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I, and Ministers across Government, are continually engaging with countries in the region to strengthen our partnerships in line with the Integrated Review Refresh. Our approach has achieved significant success, most recently we signed a strategic partnership roadmap with Thailand, becoming the first European country to do so.