Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Lebanese Government on the access of Syrian refugees to (a) residency, (b) the labour market and (c) education in that country.

The UK helps Lebanon to meet the humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities; supporting Lebanon’s fragile economy, including by investing in job opportunities for Syrians and Lebanese and providing quality education to all children in Lebanon. DFID Ministers and officials from both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development regularly raise the issues of access for refugees to residency documents, jobs and educational opportunities with the Government of Lebanon, most recently during my visit to Lebanon on 28 and 29 June during which I met President Aoun, Prime Minister Hariri, and Foreign Minister Bassil.