CONSERVATIVE
New Forest East

BUSINESS QUESTION – COUNTERING EXTREMISM - 06 July 2017

BUSINESS QUESTION – COUNTERING EXTREMISM - 06 July 2017

Dr Julian Lewis: Given the number of terrorist acts carried out in the UK by people who were prevented from going to the middle east, may we have a statement from an appropriate Minister setting out the arguments for and against preventing would-be adult jihadists from travelling abroad and keeping them at home, when we know that they cannot all be monitored at home around the clock?

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Andrea Leadsom): My right hon. Friend raises a very important issue. Approximately 850 UK-linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to engage with the Syrian conflict. We think about half of them returned to the UK, while over 15% were subsequently killed in fighting in the region. Our priority is, of course, to dissuade people from travelling to areas of conflict, and our Prevent strategy includes a lot of work to identify and support individuals at risk of radicalisation. This is clearly something for the commission for countering ​extremism, which is being set up, and I am sure the Foreign Affairs Committee will also be interested in this subject.]