Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the source of their funding for the Syrian opposition since 2015; and whether those funds were provided from the international development budget.

Through our Conflict, Stability and Security Fund the UK is providing over £60 million annually to support those groups opposed to Daesh and Assad as well as Syrian civilians and their communities. This is a cross-government fund run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence. The majority of this spend is Official Development Assistance. Through this fund, we are helping to meet the needs of Syrian communities by supporting local governance, the delivery of key services (including education, basic policing and search and rescue services) and livelihoods in areas controlled by the moderate opposition.