Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of 22 March 2016, Question 397, what progress has been made by the Libyan Government of National Accord in establishing a committee to study the case of victims of IRA terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

The current instability in Libya has effectively stalled further progress on the resolution of legacy issues. No Libyan committee has been set up to study victims of IRA terrorism. The current political, security and economic situation in Libya makes it difficult for victims, their families and representatives to pursue their claims, and makes it unlikely that Libya might be able to settle claims in the near future. We continue to emphasise to the Libyan Government the importance we attach to the issue of compensation for victims of IRA terrorism, but given the significant challenges facing Libya, rapid progress remains unlikely.