Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made on the (a) availability of food and medical supplies to civilians and (b) safety of those people providing such supplies in the Syrian De-Escalation Zones.

Russia, the US and Jordan have agreed a ceasefire in southern Syria. Food and medical supplies are delivered into this area cross-border from Jordan and are assessed to be meeting priority needs. Russia, Turkey and Iran have also declared ‘de-escalation zones’ in Idlib, Eastern Ghouta and Northern Homs. Food and medical supplies enter Idlib cross-border from Turkey, but the Assad regime continues to severely restrict aid going into the other two zones. The level of violence has reduced in recent months, but there are still reports of attacks by pro-regime forces on civilians, particularly in eastern Ghouta and Idlib, and humanitarian workers are exposed to significant risks.