Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will appoint a special envoy for LGBT rights.

The promotion and protection of LGBT rights is a UK foreign policy priority. We have no current plans to appoint a Special Envoy to work exclusively on LGBT rights. However, addressing this issue is a key part of the work of the FCO's Special Envoy for Gender Equality, Joanna Roper, who took up the position in April. My Ministerial colleagues and I - and indeed every one of our Ambassadors and High Commissioners worldwide - also act as envoys on this important issue. in April. My Ministerial colleagues and I - and indeed every one of our Ambassadors and High Commissioners worldwide - also act as envoys on this important issue.

We believe that interventions by Ministers and senior officials, including the Special Envoy for Gender Equality, on this issue are more likely to yield results than the engagement of a dedicated Special Envoy for LGBT rights. Given the difficulty of tackling this issue in many countries, an envoy with such a designation would most likely be unable to secure access in the very countries where the problems are most severe.