Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) private sector creditors and (b) international partners on private sector debt relief for Sri Lanka.

The UK welcomes the ongoing in-depth discussions between the Government of Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the reforms needed to bring the economy back to a sustainable path. HMT, as the lead department on debt policy with negotiating mandates from the Chancellor and UK Export Finance, are working with other Paris Club members on solutions to Sri Lanka's unsustainable debt levels. Once an IMF programme is agreed, we will work closely with other IMF members and help support economic reforms in Sri Lanka.