Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what resources the Government has allocated to tracking UK jihadis in Syria; and how many UK nationals are (a) fighting with (i) Daesh and (ii) other armed groups in Syria and (b) held captive by any party to the conflict in Syria.

We have committed considerable resource to our work with the Global Coalition Against Daesh, and European and regional partners, to develop international and collective solutions to the problems posed by foreign fighters operating in Syria. In particular we have focused on increasing information and evidence sharing amongst partners overseas and ensuring that all affected countries are taking steps to minimise the risk posed by the dispersal and return of such fighters. Approximately 900 people of national security concern who have travelled from the UK to engage in the conflict in Syria and Iraq. We do not comment on the details of our activity in this area or on the number of UK nationals being held captive by any party to the conflict in Syria for national security reasons.