Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Saudi Arabia air strikes against anti-Houthi coalition partners in southern Yemen and the potential impact of those air strikes on the expansion of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in Hadramout and other governorates.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement the I made to the House on 5 January, where I noted that the United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Yemen's unity, including the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the Government of Yemen. The United Kingdom continues to stay in regular contact with our partners in Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about the situation, and we will continue to work closely with them. The Government does not comment on operational intelligence, or security matters, but will continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.