Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is giving to Libya for protection of oil fields and production lines in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are extremely concerned about the growing threat from extremist groups in Libya, including Daesh. The recent attacks on the Ras Lanuf and Sidra oil terminals show the threat that these groups pose to Libya’s future political and economic stability. The urgent establishment of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) is the best way to tackle the threat in the long term. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) gave this message when he spoke to Prime Minister-designate, Fayez al-Serraj, on 10 January. He also emphasised the UK Government’s commitment to supporting the GNA in tackling the threats from Daesh and people smuggling.
Effective public financial management will be crucial in helping the GNA achieve real impact on the ground and gain economic credibility. And it is why we have committed £3 million over the next two years to provide technical assistance and economic governance expertise to Libya, thereby enabling a more effective response to defending Libya’s oil facilities.
