Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation of Christians in Egypt.

We regularly raise the rights of religious minorities with the Egyptian authorities, and make the case for them to be accorded the necessary protections under Egyptian law. We welcome positive developments concerning religious freedom, including President Sisi's consistent calls for peaceful coexistence and the Government of Egypt's expression of support for the rights of all minorities and for religious tolerance. The UK has always been clear that the rights of minorities, wherever they exist, should be protected in line with international standards. During the former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa's visit to Cairo last September he met Pope Tawadros II, whose Coptic Orthodox Church plays such an important part in Egyptian society.

We are committed to supporting the Egyptian Government's fight against terrorist groups, including those who seek to target minority groups such as Coptic Christians. We are providing counter-terrorism assistance to the Egyptian authorities and counter-IED training for the Egyptian security forces as part of our UK-funded projects and programmes in Egypt.