Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the support given by the government of Lebanon to the refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria; and what proposals they have to share this burden.

Lebanon, with international assistance, is providing generous support to over 1.1 million registered refugees from Syria. This is placing huge strain on Lebanon’s infrastructure, economy and local communities. Since the start of the Syria crisis, the UK has provided around £160 million to help Lebanon in supporting and managing Syrian refugees in Lebanon and in easing the pressure on the country’s resources. This support is co-ordinated with that provided by other donors in line with the vision set out in the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), discussed the issue of Syrian refugees with the Lebanese Prime Minister and the Speaker for Parliament when he visited Lebanon in December and emphasised that the UK will continue to provide support to Lebanon.