Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on granting visas to religious or community leaders who publicly advocate female genital mutilation or cutting.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and constitutes child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate the practice, which can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.

All applications for entry clearance and those seeking entry to the UK are considered on their merits and against the Immigration Rules. If an immigration decision maker is aware that an applicant advocates FGM then they should normally refuse the application.