Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vetting process his Department applies to moderate Syrian opposition groups before they receive training from UK personnel.

On 25 October, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that the UK would renew its participation in the US-led Train and Equip Programme to train selected members of vetted moderate Syrian opposition groups outside Syria as part of the wider counter-Daesh campaign. Before being accepted for training, prospective trainees are then individually vetted and subject to security and medical screening.