Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December to Question 18869 on Palestinians: Fire and Rescue Services, what progress he has made on discussions with Israeli counterparts to ensure the successful delivery of this donation.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development (FCDO) Officials have raised the matter of this donation directly with the Israeli authorities and are working with colleagues in the Scottish Government to resolve the matter.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support post-conflict stabilisation work in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The situation is Syria remains fluid and fragile. We want to see a more stable Syria and are working closely with international partners, including European partners, to this end. Following the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March that the interim authorities have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition.

Our priorities are to support an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition that leads to a representative and non-sectarian government, tackle security threats, including from Daesh, and support economic recovery. On 6 March, we announced the relaxation of sanctions on some Syrian entities in the transport, energy and finance sectors, as part of our efforts to help the people of Syria to rebuild their country and economy.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to work with European partners to support post-conflict stabilisation work in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The situation is Syria remains fluid and fragile. We want to see a more stable Syria and are working closely with international partners, including European partners, to this end. Following the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March that the interim authorities have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition.

Our priorities are to support an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition that leads to a representative and non-sectarian government, tackle security threats, including from Daesh, and support economic recovery. On 6 March, we announced the relaxation of sanctions on some Syrian entities in the transport, energy and finance sectors, as part of our efforts to help the people of Syria to rebuild their country and economy.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support civil society in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has long supported Syrian civil society, and we will continue to do so. We engage regularly with a wide range of Syrian civil society actors on issues such as political participation, accountability and human rights, and provide funding through our programme work. In January, I hosted a roundtable discussion with civil society representatives on the situation in Syria, and we have previously invited Syrian civil society representatives to brief the UN Security Council during the UK's Presidency. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March, the UK remains committed to the people of Syria and will continue to stand with them in building a more stable, free and prosperous future.

Arbroath's award-winning black pudding

Tackling child poverty

Reductions in welfare spending