Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart on the conditions in which former FARC guerrillas are being required to camp under the terms of the peace agreement; and if he will make a statement.

We welcome reports that the majority of FARC members have now moved to assembly zones and started to lay down their arms under the terms of the peace agreement.

During our meeting on 14 February, the Colombian Labour Minister, Clara Lopez reassured me that this process would be completed by June this year. In response to concerns I raised about the logistical challenges faced at some of the 26 assembly zones, Minister Lopez explained that some of the locations are very remote and require the construction of new roads for supplies to reach them. We also discussed the importance of developing areas affected by the conflict. I will continue to raise this issue during meetings with Colombian Ministers. Our Embassy in Bogota is in regular contact with the UN and the Colombian Ministry for Post Conflict.

I welcome recent assistance provided by the UN to the host communities surrounding the assembly zones. Over the last two years, the UK has provided over £10m to the UN Trust Fund for support to the implementation of the peace as well as technical assistance.