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 level of (a) security and (b) welfare of the Alawite population in Syria.

The events in Syria at the start of March were deeply concerning, and reports that large numbers of civilians have been killed are horrific. We continue to work to establish from reliable sources of information what exactly happened and who was responsible. We welcome the interim authorities' announcement of the establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the clashes. Following the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March that the interim authorities 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.