Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the (a) policy and (b) scale of capital punishment in that country.

The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as our joint statement with the EU on World Day Against the Death Penalty made clear. The Saudi authorities are well aware of our opposition. As the Minister for the Middle East, I raised Saudi human rights during my recent visit to the Kingdom.