Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value of the White Helmets in humanitarian work in the Syrian conflict.

Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as the White Helmets, plays an invaluable role in rescuing people from the devastation caused by Syrian and Russian air and missile strikes. The 107 SCD teams, of over 3100 volunteer women and men, deliver community-based services to approximately four million Syrian civilians living in opposition-controlled areas. To date they have saved over 85,000 lives and conducted extensive mine risk awareness campaigns to help civilians protect themselves from unexploded ordnance. 167 SCD volunteers have been killed and another 480 seriously injured while carrying out their life-saving work.