Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of North Korea is in violation of UN sanctions prohibiting the export of coal and restricting the import of refined petroleum; what representations they have made to that government about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of China about reports that it assisted North Korea in its trade of such products.

The British government has been very clear that international law must be upheld, and that UN sanctions put in place to combat North Korea's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes must be fully enforced. We judge that North Korea continues the illicit maritime export of commodities such as coal, and that it is highly likely North Korea has breached the oil imports cap permitted under UN Security Council resolutions. We have raised our concerns with UN Security Council members, including China. The UK calls for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea.