Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the validity of recent reports of (a) human rights abuses and (b) systematic summary returns in violation of (i) the European Union Asylum Procedures Directive or (ii) the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees by Greek authorities against migrants travelling from Turkey.

We are aware of reports of alleged human rights abuses and forced returns of migrants at the Greek/Turkish land border. The Ambassador to Greece visited the border area in November to meet officials there and learn more about the situation. In our contact at official and Ministerial level we have consistently raised concerns about the humanitarian situation faced by some migrants in Greece, and we will continue to do so. The UK continues to provide support, including through sharing of personnel and expertise, to help Greece deal with migrant flows.