Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on ensuring that members of the previous Syrian Government are held accountable for (a) the use of chemical weapons and (b) other crimes against humanity.

We support the UN and civil society accountability efforts, including developing a credible evidence base to record atrocities committed by the former regime and others. We are also working with international partners to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy Assad's chemical weapons programme and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

We supported the establishment of both the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism and Independent Institution for Missing Persons, and welcomed the recent renewal of the Commission of Inquiry in April. We are advocating for these mechanisms to have the operational remit to complement Syrian-led accountability efforts.