Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will take steps to protect refugee camps in Syria.

Syria is the world’s biggest and most urgent humanitarian crisis. Attacks on civilians and violations of International Humanitarian Law are commonplace, and these have included attacks on camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The UN estimates that there are 6.6 million IDPs in Syria, which is almost half of all those in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.

The UK is at the forefront of the response to the crisis. We have pledged over £2.3 billion for the UN-led response in Syria and the region, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. To date, we have allocated £561 million of this to support vulnerable people inside Syria. By the end of May 2016, UK support inside Syria had provided over 16.3 million food rations, each of which feeds one person for one month; access to clean water for 2 million people (peak month); 3.5 million medical consultations; and more than 5.1 million relief packages.

Alongside our work to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, DFID works closely with the FCO to push for the protection of civilians within Syria. The protection of civilians was also at the heart of the “Supporting Syria & the Region London 2016” Conference, which the Prime Minister co-hosted in London in February. Participants agreed to use their influence with all parties to the conflict to halt abuses, to allow humanitarian agencies rapid, safe and unimpeded access throughout Syria in order to reach besieged and hard-to-reach areas.

The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, any party seeking to establish a safe area would need to ensure sufficient military capability to guarantee safety from both aerial and ground attack, including by unconventional means. The UK position on military intervention within Syria is well known. In addition, in the current circumstances, the presence of foreign troops at such camps is likely to risk making them a target for some of the parties to the conflict.