Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect Sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe against the risk of their being sold as slaves or hostages in Libya.

UK aid programmes in source and transit countries increasingly focus on jobs and livelihoods, aiming to reduce the need for migrants to leave. We are also targeting people smuggling gangs.

The conflict makes Libya a difficult country in which to operate. Nonetheless the UK has committed over £12.4million since October 2015. This funding includes a programme partnering with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to improve living conditions for men and women in detention centres and assist the voluntary repatriation for migrants.

The UK is also supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in providing humanitarian relief and immediate lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations in Libya.