Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution they are making to Operation Sophia (EUNAVFOR MED), and what assessment they have made of the success of that operation to date.

The UK is making a significant contribution to Operation Sophia, the European Union's naval operation countering migrant smugglers in the central Mediterranean. HMS ENTERPRISE has been deployed since 4 July 2015 (with a Merlin helicopter between July and October), and was joined by HMS RICHMOND for October and November. The UK is also contributing five staff officers in the Operational Headquarters.

HMS ENTERPRISE's work has been valuable in developing a picture of the maritime environment and smuggling routes, and UK ships have picked up almost a third of the total number of migrants rescued. HMS ENTERPRISE will remain deployed to Operation Sophia until the end of August. The UK contribution to Operation Sophia is one part of the Government's overall comprehensive approach to tackling the migrant crisis, which seeks to address the root causes of migration as well as its consequences.