Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is taking steps to assist with the mapping and disposal of World War Two-era mines in the Tobruk and El-Alamein regions; and if she will make a statement.

The package of UK support to Libya announced in August 2017 includes £1 million this year to fund demining training and education across the country and increase the capacity of Libyan authorities to deal with explosive hazards. The UK has supported demining in Egypt since 2006 through multilateral funding along with other donors including Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the US. The projects have funded clearance of 130,446 acres of land around El Alamein, provision of artificial limbs for 479 land mine victims, and three mine risk education campaigns benefiting 160,000 individuals. The UK has previously provided maps of minefield locations to the Egyptian authorities. The UK currently has no programmes specifically targeting WWII ordnance in the Tobruk or El-Alamein regions.