Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 October (HL2327), whether they have studied the report by the multi-faith pastoral group.

We are aware of this visit and have received reports from various members of the visiting group. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advised strongly against this visit, both for security reasons and because such visits can become tools of the Asad regime's propaganda.

The FCO's analysis – based on reports from the FCO network and a wide range of credible independent sources – is that the Asad regime is responsible for widespread atrocities against the Syrian people. This includes the death of an estimated 400,000 people in the last five years, the use of chemical weapons, torture, arbitrary detention and disappearances.