Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her estimate is of the number of deaths amongst refugees in the Mediterranean in the first two months of (a) 2015, (b) 2014 and (c) 2013.

The Government has not made an estimate as to the number of people who have
drowned attempting the crossing in these periods. All deaths of this nature are
a matter of extreme regret and the Government is determined to do all it can with
international partners to reduce the flow of illegal migrants taking such risks and
to combat the organised criminals who are making huge profits by exploiting
vulnerable people. The Government is taking action at a national and international
level to find sustainable solutions, for example through regional protection initiatives
and the new Khartoum Process, a joint EU and African Union initiative supporting
dialogue and concrete cooperation to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in
the Horn of Africa.