Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the timescale for a national referendum on the draft constitution for Libya following the passage of legislation to facilitate such a referendum by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018.

It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.