Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Irish Government on the death of Pte Seán Rooney in Lebanon.

The Foreign Secretary offered the UK Government's condolences on the sad death of Private Rooney when he spoke to his Irish counterpart on 21 December. This followed the Minister for Europe's condolence letter of 16 December, in which he also thanked Ireland for its continued contribution to UN peacekeeping. The UK will continue to support the UN's efforts to fulfil its peacekeeping mandates in challenging circumstances. We support a full investigation into the incident in Lebanon and urge all concerned to ensure those responsible are brought to account.