Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 23 December 2024 (HL3321), which individuals have been designated as perpetrators of sexual violence in Syria since 2023.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In March 2023, Amjad Youssef was sanctioned, for involvement in repressing the civilian population in Syria, including through systematic rape and killing of civilians, as a member of '227 Region Branch'. In June 2023, Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, former Chief of the General Staff of Syrian Army, was sanctioned. He was involved in the repression of the Syrian population through commanding military forces where there was systematic use of rape. Ali Mahmoud Abbas, former Syrian Minister of Defence, was also sanctioned in June 2023, for his commanding role of the Syrian armed forces who have systematically used rape against civilians.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 23 December 2023 (HL3321), what assistance was provided by the Global Survivors Fund to the 800 Syrian survivors of sexual violence and over what timeframe.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The impacts of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) on survivors, their families and communities are varied and long-lasting. The UK is committed to tackling CRSV globally and, since 2019, has committed up to £7.85 million to the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) to enhance access to holistic redress for thousands of survivors, including in DRC, Iraq, and Turkey. In Turkey, since 2022, the UK has supported the provision of medical, psychosocial, legal and financial support to over 800 Syrian survivors. Projects are delivered by civil society organisations and survivor networks and are developed with survivors of CRSV to reflect their needs.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of land in Syria that Israel has occupied since 8 December 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israel have said their presence in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights will be limited and temporary, and we have been clear that we expect them to adhere to this commitment. Israel's presence in the buffer zone must not become permanent.
The UK's position on the Golan Heights remains clear: they are occupied territory, and we do not recognise Israel's annexation. We continue to call on Israel and all actors to uphold their obligations to peace, stability, and security under international law.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current level of starvation in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Yemen continues to face huge levels of severe food insecurity and malnutrition. In 2025 17.1 million people (49% of the population) are estimated to be severely food insecure, (a slight reduction from 17.6 million people in 2024), and 8.6 million of those will need nutritional support, (an increase from 7.7 million in 2024). An estimated 3.5 million children aged under 5 years, and pregnant and lactating women, face acute malnutrition due in many cases to insufficient purchasing power to buy available food. Nearly half of Yemen's children under five suffer from moderate to severe stunting. The 2025 UN led Humanitarian Response Plan launched last week requires $2.47 billion to address these challenges and wider humanitarian needs in Yemen.
Responding to Yemen's humanitarian crisis is a priority for the UK. This year, the UK will contribute £144 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen which includes supporting 864,000 people with cash transfers to buy food, and support 718 health facilities with the medicines, vaccines, and nutritional supplements they need to treat 700,000 severely malnourished children. The UK invests in responses that integrate health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and food security in areas in need through our two flagship programmes Women and Children (W&C) and Food Security Safety Nets (FSSN).
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many humanitarian lorries were allowed into Gaza in (1) 2020, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025 to date.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2020, data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed 12,492 humanitarian and 93,901 commercial trucks entered Gaza. In 2024, data from UNRWA showed that 32,763 humanitarian and 10,638 commercial trucks entered Gaza. In 2025, data from UNRWA shows that 523 humanitarian trucks have entered Gaza to date. The 2025 data from UNRWA is still subject to updates, and does not currently show commercial trucks. The UK continues to push for an immediate surge of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative will undertake in Syria, especially in relation to recently released prisoners.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We unequivocally condemn the use of sexual violence, including in detention, and are resolute in our determination to prevent and respond to it. Through the Global Survivors Fund - which works with governments and local organisations to provide redress for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence - the UK has provided medical, psychosocial, legal and financial support to over 800 Syrian survivors of sexual violence in Turkey. We have also designated 3 perpetrators of sexual violence in Syria since 2023.
The UK has emphasised the importance of protecting civilians as part of Syria's political transition and will continue to engage closely with Syrian contacts, international and regional partners to support a peaceful transfer of power.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist in the rebuilding of civil society in Syria, including the judiciary and the police.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long supported the voices of Syrian civil society, a community that has stood ready to support a Syrian political process, accountability efforts and humanitarian work for years. During its Presidency of the UN Security Council, the UK invited a Syrian civil society briefer to share their views and experiences with the Council.
We support a Syrian-led process to bring stability and peace to the country, based on the principles set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That includes compliance with international law, the protection of civilians, including minorities, access to humanitarian aid, a nationwide ceasefire, action against terrorism and disposal of chemical weapons - among other measures.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub will undertake in Syria in supporting the development of civil society.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long supported the voices of Syrian civil society, a community that has stood ready to support a Syrian political process, accountability efforts and humanitarian work for years. During its Presidency of the UN Security Council, the UK invited a Syrian civil society briefer to share their views and experiences with the Council.
We support a Syrian-led process to bring stability and peace to the country, based on the principles set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That includes compliance with international law, the protection of civilians, including minorities, access to humanitarian aid, a nationwide ceasefire, action against terrorism and disposal of chemical weapons - among other measures.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering the use of alternative financing mechanisms to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to increasing sustainable interventions to help Syrians support themselves, and build futures through education, jobs and food production. In 2023, over 40% of the UK's aid budget for Syria was allocated to early recovery (an approach to humanitarian assistance that uses sustainable solutions to meet needs), livelihoods and providing long term opportunities for Syrians.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic representation they have in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Kabul suspended operations in August 2021. The Doha based UK Mission to Afghanistan visits Kabul regularly, raising priority UK issues directly with senior members of the Taliban, falling short of recognition. The Mission presses the Taliban on counter-terrorism, promotes the UN-led Doha process and always raises the unacceptable violations of the rights of women and girls, most recently in October 2024. Not having a permanent presence does not stop the UK from having an impact and directly helping the people of Afghanistan, as shown in the recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact report.