Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of consulting with Syrian civil society organisations on the steps required to ease sanctions.

The UK has long supported Syrian civil society, and we continue to do so. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and senior officials, including the UK Special Representative for Syria, regularly meet civil society actors to discuss a range of issues, including the impact of sanctions. On 1 April, I met representatives from Syrian civil society to discuss how the international community can support Syria in building a better future, including through sanctions relief.