Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of the United Arab Emirates on the persecution of Christians in that country.

Human rights, including the protection of freedom of religion or belief, is a UK foreign policy priority. As part of our bilateral relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we discuss human rights at both ministerial and official levels. We note the positive steps the UAE has made in this area, including the establishment of the Ministry of Tolerance in 2016, with the objective of supporting religious tolerance and diversity. Promoting dialogue between different faiths was a key theme of the visit of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the UAE in 2016. This included a reception hosted at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque involving a discussion with leaders of the Christian faith in the UAE.