Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the government of Syria has (1) restricted aid (a) supplies, and (b) personnel, seeking to enter Syria, and (2) manipulated these to serve its purposes, since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Over the last ten years, the Assad regime has consistently and deliberately undermined the pursuit of peace and caused untold suffering for Syria. The UN's 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview has reflected a sharp increase in requirements, with over 13 million people in need of aid; 5.9 million are in need of shelter, 12.4 million are food insecure and 2.4 million children are out of school.

Delivering results in Syria, in a wide range of geographic areas and sectors, with a constantly evolving situation on the ground, is extremely complex and challenging. In regime-held areas, regime officials regularly limit or delay issuing visas to humanitarian workers inhibiting their ability to effectively deliver aid, and also restrict some operations such as the transport of medical supplies.

It is unacceptable that the Assad regime continues to deny aid access to millions of people in Syria. The UK continues to call upon all parties to the conflict to engage constructively, increase aid access, uphold International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians.