Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Kurdish authorities on the evacuation of British children from north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Officials have discussed the evacuation and repatriation of British orphans and unaccompanied minors with representatives of the civilian de facto authorities in north east Syria on several occasions, most recently on 21 October. Any repatriation will be subject to national security concerns.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the repatriation of British children trapped in north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Foreign Secretary has discussed the repatriation of British children from north east Syria with Cabinet ministers including the Home Secretary, and these discussions are ongoing. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention, subject to national security concerns. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, but we carefully consider all requests.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to repatriate British children trapped in north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention, subject to national security concerns. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, but we carefully consider all requests.
Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on the repatriation of British children from north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Foreign Secretary has discussed the repatriation of British children from north east Syria with Cabinet ministers including the Secretary of State for International Development, and these discussions are ongoing. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention, subject to national security concerns. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, but we carefully consider all requests.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s timetable is for the evacuation of British children and their mothers from north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance. We will take a case-by-case approach to any requests for consular assistance.
Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to evacuate British children and their mothers from north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance. This makes it difficult to help but we will take a case-by-case approach to any requests for assistance. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. Outside of Syria, we would of course respond to requests for consular assistance regarding British children.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to repatriate the mothers of British children trapped in north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance. This makes it difficult to help but we will take a case-by-case approach to any requests for assistance. Outside of Syria, we would of course respond to requests for consular assistance.
Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to evacuate all British children trapped in north east Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, but we carefully consider all requests.
Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. A request can be made on behalf of a minor. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his officials have had with representatives of regional authorities in north east Syria on the (a) evacuation and (b) repatriation of British children.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Officials have discussed the evacuation and repatriation of British orphans and unaccompanied minors with representatives of the civilian de facto authorities in north east Syria on several occasions, most recently on 18 October.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the BBC video report by journalist Fred Scott dated 13 October on three UK orphans in Syria, if she will take steps to return (a) those UK orphans and (b) other UK children in a similar position to the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are urgently considering how we can assist UK orphans. Given the UK has no consular presence in Syria, this is extremely difficult. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention.
Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.