Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support mine clearance programmes in Sri Lanka.

The UK has funded landmine clearance programmes that make land safe since 2002. This supports livelihoods and encourages a return to normalcy for citizens in conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka. Since 2016, our delivery partners at the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group have collectively cleared 3,361,647 square metres of land which is now used for agriculture, collection of natural resources, infrastructure, public services and residential purposes. The UK is one of the founding signatories of the Mine Ban Treaty, and these projects demonstrate the UK's continued leadership with others to make Sri Lanka landmine-free.