Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Together For Syria's Election 2017 manifesto, what steps he plans to take to work with the international community to protect civilians in Syria.

The protection of civilians in Syria is a priority for this Government. We will continue to support all efforts to reduce the level of violence in Syria, and use all diplomatic tools to work for a political solution which allows Syrians to decide their own future. The UK has played a leading role in the UN Security Council, supporting resolutions aimed at improving humanitarian access, civilian protection and investigating chemical weapons attacks.

We will continue to pursue accountability in Syria, including through support for robust EU sanctions against the Asad regime. With UK support, the EU now has sanctions in place against 240 persons and 67 entities linked to the violent repression of civilians in Syria. The UK will maintain support for the UN Commission of Inquiry which is reporting on human rights violations and abuses; and the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) whose role is to investigate and collect evidence of crimes committed in Syria. The UK is contributing to the start-up costs of the IIIM.

The UK continues to play a leading role in the fight against Daesh, which has been guilty of so many atrocities against civilians. We and the Coalition against Daesh take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and ensure they are subsequently investigated. All possible precautions are taken to minimise the risk of civilian casualties when conducting any form of military operation. Through our rigorous targeting processes we will continue to seek to minimise the risk of civilian casualties.