To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with its Nigerian counterpart on improvements aimed at increasing transparency and visibility in the oil and gas sector.

We have lobbied on increased transparency in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, most recently at a meeting between the high commissioner and Nigerian Minister for Petroleum Resources on 20 December 2013.

Our recent efforts have concentrated on the Petroleum Industry Bill which is currently being considered by the National Assembly. We believe comprehensive legislation could lead both to increased investment and increased transparency over oil receipts and contracts. We also raised the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and transparency more generally during our G8 presidency.