Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Rohingya refugees are repatriated to Myanmar with guarantees made to protect their (a) physical safety and (b) material and legal rights, under the supervision of UNHCR.

During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Burma on 10-11 February, he urged State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to work with the international community to create conditions in Rakhine which will allow Rohingya refugees to return safely, voluntarily and in dignity to their homes under the international oversight of the UNHCR.

The UN Security Council, in response to a UK-led call, convened a session on 13 February to discuss the Rohingya crisis. Our intervention made clear that the UNHCR should have a formal role in any returns process. This role would include providing an independent assessment of conditions in Rakhine, including security, allowing Rohingya refugees to make informed decisions.