Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure families from the UK who are detained in North East Syria receive medical care, including in cases where there is a clear risk to life.

The UK has no consular presence within Syria, which makes it difficult to provide direct consular assistance, but we carefully consider whether and how we can help every British national who directly seeks our assistance. The provision of medical care within camps in North East Syria is a matter for the camp authorities, but UK aid is provided to those in acute need in these camps, including British nationals. For example, in Al Hol camp, we help fund a wide range of activities including basic, life-saving healthcare, food, hygiene products, child protection and shelter, in addition to informal education support. When the population substantially increased in early 2019, UK aid provided 1,300 tents to the camp. The UK's funding is flexible and allows partners on the ground to plan for spikes in need.