Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how allegations of torture of UK citizens by another country's police, security services or prison system are taken into account when awarding UK aid to that country; and whether the Government has ever conditioned or reduced UK aid to another country for the purposes of encouraging that country to cease the torture of British citizens.

The UK Government condemns the use of torture without exception. We take all allegations or concerns of torture and mistreatment of British nationals overseas extremely seriously and will follow up with action appropriate to the circumstances of the case. In considering aid in specific countries a number of different aspects are taken into account, including the commitment to respecting human rights and other international obligations.