Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to maintain its aid spending on education in northwest Syria as part of his Department's prioritisation exercise.

Tackling the humanitarian impact of the Syria Crisis remains a priority for the FCDO. The UK is one of the largest donors to the Syrian humanitarian response having committed over £3.3 billion since 2012 and the UK is also one of the leading donors on education in North West Syria. The FCDO is in the process of assessing the impact of the ODA budget reduction on the UK's aid expenditure in Syria

To date, the UK's Syria Education Programme is the UK's largest bilateral education programme and has supported over 401,235 (49.6% female) children in the North West. This programme has improved access to the teaching profession, supported schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, financially supported stipends for thousands of teachers and most importantly, supported children's access to high quality education and psycho social care.

The regime's brutal targeting of schools is appalling. Many children have had their most formative years shaped by a backdrop of conflict. The Foreign Secretary has called for a nationwide ceasefire as part of a political process, as the only way to end the Syrian conflict and we continue to call on all parties to maintain the agreed ceasefires.