Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of oil pollution on the Bodo community in Rivers State in Nigeria; and whether they have any plans to meet representatives of Royal Dutch Shell to ascertain a timetable for the clean up of the oil spills there.

We are aware of the impact that oil pollution has had on the Bodo community and a number of other communities in Rivers State Nigeria. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), discussed the area's environmental problems with Shell during his visit to the Delta in February 2014.

We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Government of Nigeria and oil companies operating in the Delta, including Shell, through which we continue to press for environmental responsibility in the oil and gas sector.