Nick Smith
Main Page: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)Department Debates - View all Nick Smith's debates with the Ministry of Defence
(9 years ago)
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Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)
3. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK's efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL.
Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
4. What assessment his Department has made of progress in defeating ISIL.
James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis) (Con)
11. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK contribution to international efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL.
Michael Fallon
We are part of the international coalition of more than 60 countries, as I said, and the hon. Lady is right that we need to continue to degrade ISIL’s ability to export its oil or to trade in oil across the border areas. There is specific coalition work under way on that. We have more work to do.
Nick Smith
May I press the Secretary of State on this? What progress has the UK and its coalition partners made in disrupting the ability of ISIS to raise significant funds? I understand it earns $1.5 million a day through selling oil.
Michael Fallon
Some of the military operations—the strikes—have changed the pattern of refining. ISIL appears now to be getting some of its oil from small-scale wells rather than the larger refineries, some of which have been put out of commission, but we are intensifying our efforts internationally to make sure that where ISIL is attempting to sell oil, it is not able to gain the proceeds from it.