Oral Answers to Questions

Ellie Reeves Excerpts

Wednesday 17th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

We have made considerable progress—for example, all our overseas territories that have a financial centre are now committed to global standards on tax transparency.

[Ellie Reeves (Lewisham West and Penge) (Lab)]

2. What steps her Department is taking to tackle modern slavery in Libya.

[The Minister for the Middle East (Alistair Burt)]

Eradicating modern slavery is a top UK priority. We are helping to build Libyan capacity to tackle this abhorrent crime, and providing humanitarian aid and protection for migrants and refugees, not just in Libya but on the whole route of those travelling to that country. Last year, the UK supported more than 20,000 emergency interventions for migrants and refugees in Libya.

[Ellie Reeves]

Over 2,000 people in my constituency signed the petition debated last month and the issue is of great concern to us all. What update can the Minister give my constituents on the implementation of the plan agreed by African Union and European Union countries at the end of November? Specifically, how many migrants have been repatriated?

[Alistair Burt]

After the debate, I asked the organiser of the petition to come in to my office to see me, and she, one of the supporters of the petition and I had a meeting last week, which gave my officials a chance to talk with her about the huge interest and concern that the petition demonstrated. Briefly, the matter worries us considerably. There is work going on across Government in relation to the criminal aspects of the slave auctions, but at the meeting I was also able to outline what we are doing to build capacity, such as—