Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proliferation of small arms in Libya, and of the effectiveness of any resources and funding made available by the United Kingdom to deal with that issue.

The proliferation of small arms in Libya is of major concern. It contributes to ongoing instability in that country, and potentially to the wider region. We have been working closely with our international partners to address the issue of unsecured weapons stockpiles in Libya.

We have funded about £5m of work on arms and ammunition work in Libya to date. Unfortunately, our programme of work has been reduced due to events in Libya over the summer, which forced the withdrawal of our diplomatic staff.

So far, in this financial year, the UK has committed an estimated £1.2m towards tackling the issues of unsecured weapons stockpiled in Libya. These resources have enabled the UK to fund small but important work programmes with the UN Mine Action Service and Danish Demining Group, on surveying weapons sites and tidying up unexploded ordinance devices.

Until such time as we can return to Libya, we are exploring other options to work with Libyan groups. For example, we are working with local military and municipal councils who are already conducting their own activity to secure small arms and light weapons. The UK Ministry of Defence is also undertaking preparatory work for the UK’s eventual return to Libya, for instance, committing £4.2m this financial year towards the procurement of equipment and course materials for the Explosive Ordnance Device/Improvised Explosive Device Destruction Schools which the UK has been supporting.