Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of relaxing restrictions on the (a) energy, (b) transport and (c) finance sectors in Syria on the UK's (i) foreign policy objectives and (ii) humanitarian efforts in the region.

As I said in my statement to the House on 10 March, the Government is committed to helping to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and to promoting security and stability. We are focusing amendments to the Syria sanctions regime on energy, transport and finance as sectors of Syria's economy where international expertise, trade and investment has the greatest potential to contribute to meeting the immediate needs of the Syrian people. We are clear with the interim authorities in Damascus that they have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.