Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (HL13254 and HL13255) on 24 February 2021, what discussions they have had with the government of Belgium regarding reports that the Chairman of the Libyan Investment Authority is being sought by Belgian authorities in connection with charges of corruption and embezzlement.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Her Majesty's Government has not engaged the Belgian authorities on this matter. Any criminal investigation is a matter for the relevant Belgian authorities.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reconsider their decision not to publish The Shawcross Report: Compensation for Victims, completed in May 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Mr Shawcross's report was commissioned as an internal scoping report, to provide internal advice to Ministers. Its content is based on private, confidential conversations and information shared on this basis.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of (1) money, (2) explosives, and (3) other weaponry, provided by the government of Libya to the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA was extensive. It is widely documented in the public domain. It involved money, weapons and training from the 1970s onwards. The UK continues to press the Libyan authorities - including at the highest levels of the Libyan Government - to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland gives legal effect to a Regulatory Border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Article 4 of the Protocol is clear that Northern Ireland is part of the customs territory of the United Kingdom. Furthermore, Article 6 of the Protocol provides that the Protocol does not prevent the United Kingdom from ensuring unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom's internal market. The Government also provided additional protections to Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom's internal market with the Internal Market Act 2020.
Any sustainable solution must ensure that the impediments to East-West trade are removed and goods can flow freely in both direction between GB and NI.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to obtain the support of the government of Libya in securing compensation for UK victims of Irish Republican Army terrorism sponsored by former Libyan president Colonel Muammar Gadaffi.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government reiterates its profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. As set out in the 23 March Written Ministerial Statement: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-03-23/hcws874, providing compensation for the actions of the Qadhafi regime, separate from the UK-funded support that has already been made available for victims of the Troubles, is the responsibility of the Libyan State. The UK continues to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA, and has raised this issue at the highest levels of the Libyan Government.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the decision by the government of Malta to unfreeze Maltese bank accounts held by Libyan citizens, and (2) whether that decision is consistent with United Nations' resolutions on Libyan frozen assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) decided that all Member States shall freeze assets owned or controlled by individuals or entities listed by the Libya Sanctions Committee. The aim of the Libya asset freeze is to ensure that the frozen funds are preserved until such a time as they can be made available to, and for the benefit of, the people of Libya. Any amendments to the asset freeze will require consensus at the UN and will be judged against this goal.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future of Afghanistan under Taliban control; and whether they intend to recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The policy of the British Government is to recognise States, not Governments. As the Prime Minister has said, we will judge the Taliban by their actions not their words and respond accordingly. We will take a coordinated approach with our partners as the Prime Minister announced at the G7 Leaders meeting on 24 August.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the government of Libya has complied with UN Security Council Resolutions pertaining to the freezing of Libyan assets, to justify a release of some or all of those assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) decided that all Member States shall freeze assets owned or controlled by individuals or entities listed by the Libya Sanctions Committee. The aim of the Libya asset freeze is to ensure that the frozen funds are preserved until such a time as they can be made available to, and for the benefit of, the people of Libya. Any amendments to the asset freeze will require consensus at the UN and will be judged against this goal.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the matter of compensation for the victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism was raised during their meeting with the interim Prime Minister of Libya on 24 June; and if so, what response they received.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK continues to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA, and has raised this issue at the highest levels.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in seeking compensation from the government of Libya for the victims of Libyan-supplied semtex used by the IRA.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK continues to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support for the IRA, and has raised this issue at the highest levels.