Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the source of funding for the terrorist activities of ISIL and Hamas; and whether they consider any such funding to come from individuals in Qatar.

We, and our international partners, estimate that a significant portion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’s revenue comes from its sale of oil; extortion is its other main source of funds. Degrading ISIL’s finances is a key part of our strategy for defeating ISIL, and tackling the threat it poses to the UK and UK interests abroad. We understand that Hamas currently relies on funding from allies across the region. This funding is directed at the political wing of the organisation.

Our partners in the Middle East, including the Gulf States, have made clear by their current actions that they are fully committed to taking action against ISIL and tackling other terrorist groups. We are aware of reports that individual citizens from the region may be providing support to ISIL, the military wing of Hamas and other extremist groups, but there is no evidence to suggest that the governments we engage with are involved. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discusses these issues regularly with his counterparts, most recently during the visit of the Qatari Emir on 29 October where he agreed to increase cooperation on sharing information on groups of concern. The UK welcomes the recent Qatari legislation to prevent terrorist funding by regulating charities that are involved in politics or send money abroad; we encourage the swift implementation of this legislation.