Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Burma about reported human trafficking involving removing Rohingya to other countries in the region.

The UK makes regular representations to the Government of Burma about the living conditions faced by the Rohingya in Rakhine State, which is the key driver of their migration to third countries. We have also raised it with our international partners in the region. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), discussed the trafficking of the Rohingya people with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister at the Asia-Europe meeting in Milan in October last year. We have also raised with the Thai authorities the importance of treating Rohingya refugees in Thailand in line with international humanitarian norms and standards. We continue to make it clear to the Government of Burma that the humanitarian situation in Rakhine must be addressed as a matter of priority. The UK is one of the largest bilateral aid donors to Rakhine, providing £12m since 2012 for humanitarian assistance.