Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with YouTube on its policy on (a) advertising and (b) monetisation by Russian opposition supporters on its platform.

The Government stands in solidarity with Russian independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists who continue their work, including online, at great personal risk. We condemn the Russian authorities' use of repressive legislation to severely curtail the freedom of expression and recognise the importance of the limited online platforms still available in Russia. The Government has regular engagement with Google, which owns YouTube, on a variety of matters.