The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel by yacht and leisure craft in the territorial waters of Somalia and on the high seas (more than 12 nautical miles from shore) in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and part of the Indian Ocean bounded by the following latitude and longitude: I5°N in the Red Sea, 23°N in the Arabian Sea, 78°E and 10°S in the Indian Ocean.

The Department is aware of the Danish MAIB safety report into the pirate attack on the Danish vessel Leopard in 2011, which was published on 29 October 2013. The Department for Transport (DFT) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials have been considering the content of the report and whether there are any implications for our policies. However, it is worth noting that the anti-piracy measures that the report refers to are part of industry-led Best Management Practices (BMP) for protection against Somalia based piracy, specifically to assist ships to avoid, deter or delay piracy attacks in the High Risk Area (latter defined in BMP). DFT officials will be referring to the Danish report at this month's meeting of the National Maritime Security Committee, which includes industry representatives, in order to seek views from industry before any formal conclusions or recommendations are made about potential implications or not for DFT policies.

The Government remains determined to help facilitate a resolution to the challenges facing the Somali remittance corridor following the decision by Barclays Bank to withdraw services from a number of money service businesses. The Government is in the process of establishing an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances. One of the working groups of the Action Group will be mandated to develop a safe corridor pilot to ensure the continued flow of remittances to Somalia through secure, legitimate and accessible channels. This working group will consider, among other things, the impact that changes in the money service business sector might have on Somalia's wider stability and economic development. In the meantime, there are still a number of legal channels for remittances to flow through, as outlined in the Factsheet issued by the Foreign Office on 17 October, a copy of which will be deposited in the House of Commons Library.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not assessed what the effect would be of a reduction in remittances on security in Somalia and Somaliland. Any such assessment would be hard to substantiate given the lack of economic data available. However, there is no evidence at present to suggest that remittances to Somalia have reduced, or are likely to do so significantly in the near future. Nor is there any evidence that the security situation has changed as a result of money service businesses in the Somali corridor losing their bank accounts.

The effectiveness of UK aid programmes in Somalia (including in Puntland) is assessed regularly as part of our programme management cycle. Programmes are countrywide, rather than region-specific, with a geographical focus where development needs are greatest.

The HMG Action Group on Cross Border Remittances is being established in accordance with the written ministerial statement laid down in Parliament on 10 October 2013, Official Report, columns 29-30W, by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid). It will incorporate a working group tasked with developing a safe corridor pilot to ensure the continued flow of remittances to Somalia through secure, legitimate and accessible channels.

Progress is on track against the one-year timetable set out in the written ministerial statement.

DFID is working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia who have initiated an emergency response to the polio outbreak jointly with the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners. The response aims to interrupt the transmission of polio in Somalia and curtail its spread to uninfected areas.

In August, DFID made a contribution of £10 million to WHO for tackling polio in the East Africa region, with a focus on Somalia. This was followed by a contribution of £1.8 million in October from DFID Somalia to UNICEF Somalia in response to the joint polio appeal.

I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s question. She is right to make the point that remittances are extremely important,

particularly as they relate to Somalia. But most Somali remittances are made through small scale businesses that operate in cash and do not have bank accounts. They will therefore be unaffected by a commercial decision by Barclays bank. However, the Government are taking the decision seriously. The Treasury, which is leading on this matter, the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are working to find a solution, and DFID is developing a pilot project to help secure international remittance channels.

Barclays bank made the decision to end banking facilities for money transfer companies such as Dahabshiil and that decision will devastate countries such as Somalia. Will the Foreign Secretary take this opportunity to speak up and explain what he will do to try to prevent the closure of this legitimate route of money transfer to a country that depends on it for its security and to achieve transformation there?

Somalia has come a long way in a short time. In May, the UK jointly hosted a second Somalia Conference with the Federal Government of Somalia. This generated further international support for the Somalian Federal Government's plans for the armed forces, police, rebuilding the judiciary, and public financial management. The Somali President set out his plan for political reconciliation and roadmap to elections in 2016; and international partners pledged some $350 million (around £216 million) in new financial support aligned to these plans. In September, a further conference in Brussels brought together Somalia and the international community to agree a 'New Deal Compact', a plan for the international community to support the Government of Somalia in rebuilding the country. This sustained international support, in which the UK continues to play a leading role, has produced real gains on the ground, including the agreement signed between the Federal Government and the Interim Juba Administration in the South of Somalia. However the situation remains fragile. Al Shabaab remains active, and it is important that the Somali National Forces and African Union Mission in Somalia take the fight to Al Shabaab to create the space for political reconciliation. We are working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia to maintain international support for that and their wider objectives.

The Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, and ensuring that UK citizens are able to continue to remit funds safely to family abroad. A written ministerial statement was laid on 10 October outlining the range of actions we are taking to ensure that the UK's remittance sector is compliant and that there is robust supervision of money transmitters for anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism obligations.

I attended the conference on a New Deal for Somalia in Brussels on 16 September along with representatives of Puntland and Jubaland. My officials met representatives of Puntland in Garowe on 1-3 October and representatives of Jubaland in Nairobi on 27 September.

Ministerial travel to Somalia depends on security considerations. My officials are meeting with representatives of Puntland in Garowe in early October and they plan to meet with representatives of Jubaland in Nairobi in November.

No.

In line with global standards and EU requirements, regulated firms in the UK, including banks and Money Service Businesses (MSBs), must have systems and controls in place to know their customer and adequately protect themselves from money laundering and terrorist financing. It is a decision for each firm how it implements the regulations and ensures it is compliant. Firms and regulators are expected to take a risk-based approach to ensure the measures they take are effective and proportionate. Extensive industry guidance is available to firms on this, which the Government gives legal weight to through approval from Treasury Ministers. The Financial Conduct Authority has responsibility for providing advice to banks on how to comply with their regulatory obligations.

The Government does, however, maintain a close dialogue with banks on a range of issues which includes the impact on legitimate remittance channels.

The Government has received a number of representations expressing concern about the effect the recent decision taken by Barclays may have on the remittance sector, including those businesses with operate in, or for the benefit of Somalia. Representations have come from, for example, Members of both Houses, affected businesses, trade associations and aid agencies. The Economic Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, responded to a Westminster Hall debate on 17 July, which covered the broader issue of the provision of money-transfer accounts services by banks to ethnic minority communities, at which Somalia and Somaliland was also discussed.

The Department for International Development has commissioned an urgent impact assessment of the effect of recent changes in the MSB market on remittances to developing countries. This will include Somalia and Somaliland.

In line with global standards and EU requirements, regulated firms in the UK, including banks and Money Service Businesses (MSBs), must have systems and controls in place to know their customer and adequately protect themselves from money laundering and terrorist financing. It is a decision for each firm how it implements the regulations and ensures it is compliant. Firms and regulators are expected to take a risk-based approach to ensure the measures they take are effective and proportionate. Extensive industry guidance is available to firms on this, which the Government gives legal weight to through approval from Treasury Ministers. The Financial Conduct Authority has responsibility for providing advice to banks on how to comply with their regulatory obligations.

The Government does, however, maintain a close dialogue with banks on a range of issues which includes the impact on legitimate remittance channels.

The Government has received a number of representations expressing concern about the effect the recent decision taken by Barclays may have on the remittance sector, including those businesses with operate in, or for the benefit of Somalia. Representations have come from, for example, Members of both Houses, affected businesses, trade associations and aid agencies. The Economic Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, responded to a Westminster Hall debate on 17 July, which covered the broader issue of the provision of money-transfer accounts services by banks to ethnic minority communities, at which Somalia and Somaliland was also discussed.

The Department for International Development has commissioned an urgent impact assessment of the effect of recent changes in the MSB market on remittances to developing countries. This will include Somalia and Somaliland.