Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help protect non-UK citizens in Lebanon who have siblings in (a) the UK and (b) Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency.

Consular services are only open to British nationals (funded by a premium on all British passports), and the UK Government is unable directly to assist non-UK citizens in Lebanon. However, immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes, through the usual channels. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

The UK has been calling for an immediate ceasefire between Lebanese Hizbollah and Israel and has announced £15 million of life-saving aid to Lebanon since 25 September. This funding will respond to the mass displacement of people and the growing number of civilian casualties, as well support access to clean water, sanitation and health and nutrition supplies through UNICEF.