Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from (a) the EU and (b) the UN on obtaining compensation for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.

The UK Government takes the needs of UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored terrorism very seriously and is sympathetic to their attempts to seek redress. We have raised this with the Libyan authorities, making it clear that resolution remains a priority for us, though current instability has delayed progress on this issue. The UK Government is not currently involved in negotiations on securing compensation payments with the EU or UN, though the FCO does provide facilitation support to campaign groups, where it has been requested. The EU and UN have made clear that when sanctions are lifted, frozen assets must be made available to and for the benefit of the people of Libya.