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Proceeding contribution from Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Monday, 28 February 2011. It occurred during Ministerial statement on Libya and the Middle East.


Libya and the Middle East

I obviously listen to the right hon. Gentleman, given his experience. The cuts to the Foreign Office are much less severe than cuts to other Departments, so I do not think that that has had a material impact. As for the issue of redundancy, clearly in the case of Egypt, the combination of scheduled flights and adding in charter flights meant that we led the pack in getting people out. In Libya, the situation was different and more difficult, and we need to learn the lessons about what extra capacity we need to put in place. As I have said, it is not as simple as some people think, because if capacity is added too quickly, scheduled flights collapse—bmi and BA both fly to Libya—and you land yourself with a bigger problem. The lessons should be learned. The only point that I would make now is that, as we stand today, Britain is doing a huge amount to help other countries out of Libya, and is helping more than 32 nationalities.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
524 c29 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
British nationals abroad Arms trade Human rights Immunity from prosecution International Criminal Court Politics and government Press freedom Travel restrictions Violence Repatriation UN resolutions Sanctions Civil disorder Middle East Libya Tunisia Embassies North Africa Gaddafi, Muammar Freezing of assets
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk