Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 May 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 May 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 May 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Tunisia

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role of Tunisia in promoting security along the Mediterranean littoral of northern Africa.

Answer: The UK is aware of the increasing numbers of irregular migrants crossing from Tunisia to Europe. We work with the Tunisian Government to help improve their border security, including through the provision of Royal Navy and Royal Marine instructors to assist the Tunisian National Guard Maritime section. More broadly, the UK Government actively pursues a 'whole of route' approach to addressing unmanaged migration from Africa to Europe, tackling the drivers of migration that encourage people to undertake the dangerous journey in the first place.

Secondary information