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Select committee: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

1st Special Report - HM Government support for UK victims of IRA attacks that used Gaddafi-supplied Semtex and weapons: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2016–17

Published 15 September 2017

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee HM Government support for UK victims of IRA attacks that used Gaddafi-supplied Semtex and weapons inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 4th Report - HM Government support for UK victims of IRA attacks that used Gaddafi-supplied Semtex and weapons.

This is the government's response, published 15 September 2017.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government agrees that Gaddafi's support extended and exacerbated the Troubles and says it will keep raising compensation with the Libyan authorities, but it has concluded that a UK-funded reparations fund is "not a viable option" at this stage.

  • The Government agrees that weapons, funding, training and explosives from Gaddafi to the Provisional IRA extended and exacerbated the Troubles, and states that it wants "a just solution" for victims.
  • It "commits to use our bilateral relationship" to stress the importance of compensation, but does not believe making support to Libya conditional on it would be in the UK's national interest.
  • On frozen Libyan assets, it states there is "no legal basis" for a licence to release funds for compensation, and that seizing them is "not a feasible option".
  • It says early settlement with Libya is "unlikely", but that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to provide updates and facilitation support to victims "where possible".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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